Silent Portrait
by lightofeilia
Summary: Hiei, a multimillionaire, collapses on the streets after a tiring night ... morning. Kurama, an artist barely getting by, takes him in. Circumstances... Events ... who will save who from loneliness? AU, HieiKurama romance. Yaoi. CH34 UP!
1. Chapter 1

An AU Hiei x Kurama love story! My very first! Don't read if you're not into this couple/yaoi.

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**Chapter 1 : Silent Portrait**

Hiei Jaganshi sat back on his chair, rubbing his forehead wearily. _How long has it been? Working without rest?_ He glanced at the clock on his messy table. It blinked at him glaringly, as it stated proudly the numbers '5:02'. Hiei groaned. Twenty-six hours ... I think I have broken my own record. He swore colourfully, enough to scare demons away, as he absorbed the amount of paperwork and other things he still had to do. Sure, he was the mega-boss of well-known and influential Hiruiseki Corp., he didn't have to do all the grungy work but he did it anyway. Until his assistant Urameshi Yusuke found him another personal secretary, his current two would break under the strain of work.

Yukimura and Shinime were fairly good, but the amount of work was overwhelming. He glanced over at the two of them, who looked even more weary than him. He sighed.

"You can pack up and leave. The faster the better, since Yusuke can fetch you home and my office will be quiet again," he snapped irritably, taking a random eraser and throwing it at his assistant who was snoring on his sofa. It bounced off Yusuke's forehead. He stirred, mumbled something inaudibly, then flopped onto his side. He dated Yukimura Keiko, and he had stayed to help with the work but inevitably fell asleep. Too tired to scold him, Hiei had ignored him and his deafening snores, because his snoring was what kept the rest of them awake. Which was sort of a good thing.

The two girls nodded quickly, eager for some good rest. They packed up, and Keiko shook Yusuke roughly.

"You can take half the day off tomorrow. Make sure you're here and present after lunch," said Hiei.

"What about you, Jaganshi-san?" she inquired politely, while trying unsuccessfully to wake her boyfriend up.

"I'll be here in the morning of course."

"Let's go," Yukimura said to Yusuke, and Yusuke complied sleepily. He had hired Keiko after he hired Yusuke, and he was a little grateful to have employed her. Not only did she follow her orders well, she also kept Yusuke in line when he didn't.

"I'm driving," chirped Botan, Hiei's overly cheerful secretary who sometimes got on his nerves but was otherwise pleasant to have around.

Yusuke's eyes shot open then as they walked out the door. He glared.

"No way in hell am I letting you drive. I want to get home in one piece," retorted Yusuke.

"But you're sleepy. It's dangerous."

"Dangerous?! And you driving isn't? I'll never forget the last time you did..." Yusuke's voice trailed off as Keiko bade Mr Jaganshi good night and closed the door behind her. Hiei got some coffee and after staring at his desk till he drained the cup, he found he had no mood to continue at all_. I'll bring some home to do. I can't sleep here, even if I could._

"Home," breathed Hiei as he staggered out the door of his office. He made his way through the building, waiting impatiently as the lift brought him twenty stories down. He stopped, and breathed in the morning air. The streets were quiet, and snow was falling. He looked up into the night sky and savoured the scenery of the pale moon, and for a moment he felt ... weird. Melancholy. Hiei shook his head of all nice and peaceful thoughts and began to walk, not concentrating on where he was going, allowing his legs to automatically lead him home.

As he walked on, he became vaguely aware of the headache banging his brain in his head, and also of the numbness in his limbs. Succumbing to unconsciousness, he fell sideways, still clutching his briefcase with important documents, into the snowy ground. He wasn't even halfway home yet, and it was already half past six in the morning.

And what a beautiful morning it was.

He dreamt of Yukina. He dreamt of sakura petals floating gently down in winter. He dreamt of snow in spring. He dreamt of a green meadow, grasslands, and the beautiful sun that set. He dreamt of someone by his side, but he couldn't picture the face. Was it female? Male? He dreamt of a farm and mountains and hills, and trees. He dreamt of the autumn leaves on the ground, as he kicked them up again and again, making it scatter and fly everywhere.

_Fitful dreams,_ thought Kurama absently as he stared at the twitching figure on his bed. He chanced a glance out the window; people were already up and about. _Would today make a difference? I am running out of cash, and it will soon be the end of the month. _He sighed. _Perhaps it won't. No one is interested in buying paintings. _

He casted an amused look back to the bed. Hiei Jaganshi, corporate millionaire, collapsed in the streets and in the home of a shabby artist. Kurama chuckled. He was lucky to have found the man, and he was also kind hearted enough to take him in for the night ...morning. Kurama inched closer; taking in the ever-constant frown on the man's face, with his spiky black hair fluffed up and messy around him. Everyone knew who this man was, this orphan who single handedly built one of the biggest international software company ever ...

But the man recognized no one except for his personal secretaries and business associates. No one.

_What a lonely life to lead ..._ thought Kurama, closing his eyes. He knew, once more, that today would have absolutely no business at all, and he would have to move out soon.

_What a lonely life I lead. _

Hiei jerked awake, sitting upright, effectively startling the young man beside him. He rubbed his forehead unconsciously, it had become a habit nowadays. Grunting, he turned questioningly to the man. At first glance, he looked like a woman, but Hiei wasn't fooled. The red hair was striking, or perhaps a more accurate term in describing it would be downright blinding, and he wore it long. Long and proud, hiding the emerald eyes from view. Said emerald eyes were wide opened, and Hiei was notably uncomfortable with that.

He stared at the man.

Kurama stared back.

Hiei blinked.

Kurama blinked, and cocked his head to a side, a questioning look on his face.

Hiei grunted and glared.

Kurama shrank back, not knowing what he did to be on the receiving end of that glare, but maintained eye contact anyway, just to see what he would say.

I_'m not going to be the one to start a dumb conversation_, thought Hiei, annoyed. He got out of the bed, and looked at his watch.

"Shit!" he cursed, it was already half past one in the afternoon. He grabbed his suitcase, lying innocently beside the bed, and rushed out of the door before Kurama could even blink. He sighed, and rested his head on the bed where the warmth and scent from the multimillionaire still remained, lingering, for some unknown reason, that made Kurama feel ... weird.

He sighed again. _So much for being kind. _He got up and gathered his paintings and some stands, and walked out to meet the day. The life of an undiscovered artist, making money off the streets.

He couldn't help but notice that Jaganshi's scent somehow seemed to cling to him.

And what a beautiful afternoon it was...

Hiei rushed back to the office, dully aware that he was horribly, unforgivably late. Maintaining his composure, he pushed his way through the crowd toward the building he came from three hours earlier. As he burst in through the doors, a visible rain cloud over his head and expression dark and stormy, everyone else dodged the death glare he was giving off. Immense heat seemed to trail along behind him, and everyone felt it. Even Yusuke knew not to kid around, and Botan shut up immediately halfway through her story.

The door slammed.

Everyone else exhaled sharply, releasing a breath they had been holding.

Then the snickers started, coming from Yusuke first. Soon the realization that their boss was about five hours late for work sunk in, and the giggling ensued. Nobody could scold the boss, of course, but everyone sure could gossip. No harm done, right?

The door flew open.

"URAMESHI. GET. IN. HERE. NOW."

The tone of his voice promised death if he did not comply. Yusuke gulped, mustered a smile, and sauntered in. Everyone else said a silent prayer.

"I don't suppose you'd like to explain this," said Hiei icily. Yusuke could only gape around in the room.

His boss's desk was usually messier than his apartment, but this was a disaster of papers. Everything was ... well, to put it simply, everywhere. He chanced a glance at the window... nope, locked shut. He raised his eyes to his employer, who seemed to be visibly smoldering and demanded an explanation.

"Nobody came in here since you left," Yusuke said boldly. It was the truth, after all. His boss did not seem to believe him, however.

"Are you suspecting me?" he added incredulously. "You gave me half a day off. I only just got in before you." He strode over to the door, and yelled out to the rest of the people present, "Anybody stepped in here this morning?"

Everyone shook their heads, bewildered. No one had a death wish. Entering the boss's office without being called in was definitely one.

"Who was the first person to arrive in the morning?" demanded Hiei.

"Me, sir," said a tiny voice, from the far end of the room. Hiei beckoned.

"Did you do this?"

"No."

"Then who did?"

"I don't know."

"Yukimura, Shinime, pick up all the papers and put it on my desk. It doesn't have to be in order yet. Urameshi, do a check, see if anything's missing," said Hiei. Suddenly the phone rang, and he cursed a blue streak as he marched over to it to pick it up.

"Yes?" he barked.

"Oniisan...?" came a timid voice. Hiei's expression immediately softened. The other three in the room brightened as they went about their work. Only one person could calm their ever-angry boss like that.

"Yukina. What is it?"

"Why didn't you come home? You stayed the whole night in the office?"

"I did... I left the office at about six thirty..." By this time, everyone was clearly eavesdropping, though with their backs toward Hiei.

"I'll tell you later. Sorry Yukina, I'm very busy now. Someone came in and now my office is a mess. I don't know who did it."

"Oh, that must be horrible ... will you be back for dinner?"

"I will. I promise. Bye."

She hung up, and Hiei exhaled sharply.

"Aw, why didn't you finish the story?"

"Shut up and get to work," growled Hiei, as he joined his assistant in doing the check.

"Hai, hai..."

The papers had all been neatly stacked on the desk fifteen minutes later. Yusuke announced that nothing was lost. With a grunt, Hiei nodded in the direction of the two girls, and pushed Yusuke out.

The door slammed shut again. Everyone else went back to work, just like any other normal day.

Outside on the streets, a few blocks away and a corner, a young man with fiery red hair set up his stands and began to paint, while passer-bys looked on and faded away. Business, it seemed, would be zero that day.

And if anybody saw the person in the painting he was currently drawing resembled a certain multimillionaire, nobody said a thing.

Even if artists pour their expressions and emotions into a painting, who could suspect a lone painter connected to Hiei Jaganshi? At the moment though, Kurama painted the backdrop of a snowy white mountain exotic against the sunset and a man leaning back on a chair to watch it, through the windows of a building. Locked forever, as though waiting for someone to take him through.

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How do you like it? Lol. Review please


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for the reviews! It really brightened my day !

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**Chapter 2 : Silent Portrait**

Hiei's stomach growled. He growled back at it, scowling. _I didn't eat breakfast or lunch today _... It was already six, therefore it meant he would have to pack up soon before his sister became worried again. Hastily scribbling a signature of sorts at the bottom of some documents, he tossed the load aside without bothering to clear up. Hiei was still puzzled over the events of the afternoon. Who could have entered the office and made a mess of the office? He or she must know the security code first though, before they could enter the main office entrance.

He wondered if he should put up another security code at the entrance of his office. Sighing, he packed whatever was needed into his briefcase, and left the office, nodding his head curty to people who bade him goodbye.

He stopped outside the building and breathed in the evening air, closing his eyes tiredly. Only then did his ruby eyes snap back open to the realization that he had so hurriedly left without thanking the kind man who had taken him in when he collapsed on the streets. Mentally making a note to repay his kindness someday, he walked back home, eager to taste Yukina's cooking he had missed the night before, and to be fussed over by the only person he ever loved.

Passing by a newspaper stand, and noticing a certain magazine, he snorted as he remembered one day his picture had made front page on that same magazine. Yusuke had barged in one morning with a copy of that same magazine months earlier and had laughed gleefully while shouting, "Sexiest Bachelor! Oh my God, Hiei, Sexiest Bachelor!!" while Hiei nursed a headache and a strong desire to burn all copies of that magazine, who had dubbed him "Sexiest Bachelor in Tokyo (and not to mention richest too)".

So what if he was a bachelor? Who needed love? It bogged you down and hurt you and made you confused and stupid. No, he didn't need it. At least not now, when he was barely getting through with his work.

Yusuke was the only person alive in his office who ever dared to call him by his first name, other than Jaganshi-san (or even Jaganshi-sama). As impolite as it was, Hiei had long since learnt to ignore his incessant ramblings and considered that Yusuke was just trying to be friendly.

After all, who can be friends with someone they fear? Sometimes he was glad of his ever boisterous though annoying assistant. Who did fear him, but only when he was in one of his moods.

Entering the lift in his apartment, he leaned casually against the wall, stomach growling with hunger. A scent permeated in that small space of metal, a scent Hiei recognised but couldn't place...

A scent of roses.

It smelled pleasant, he decided, wondering where it came from.

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Kurama heaved a deep sigh after packing his stuff up. After all the paintings he had so meticulously drawn, after putting in all his effort, his paintings were still not selling. People liked to stop and watch him paint, but they would not buy those paintings. He only managed to sell one painting today, to a sweet lady who praised him for his work and told him it was very beautiful and not to give up.

He almost teared at the words of that kind lady, who seemed to see his suffering.

_I know I have the talent_, thought Kurama exasperatedly, _but why can't I sell these? _

As he walked back to his shabby rented place, he passed by a florist shop. "Vacancy - Walk-In Interview" was pasted on the window. Without hesitating, he walked in.

_Perhaps I cannot focus solely on my paintings to help me earn some money. But will they let me work? After all .. _

_I am not normal, as they so loved to put it..._

"What is it? We're closing shortly," said the lady, smoking a cigarette, raising an eyebrow at him. Kurama pointed to the notice on the window.

"Yes, we have a vacancy. Are you here to apply for it?'

Kurama nodded.

"What's the matter, you can't speak?"

Kurama nodded, mouthing the words 'Accident' and pointing to his throat. He hoped and prayed they wouldn't turn him down like the previous uncountable ones when he tried to apply for a job. The lady looked him once-over, nodded and took out a piece of paper. 2

"Any experience in handling flowers?" she asked brusquely, thrusting a pen into his hand. Kurama smiled, then wrote, **'I do. I learnt flower arrangements before.' **

"That's good," she nodded, but was not very impressed. She took in the state of his clothes and the rolled up canvas with a worn out backpack, then decided the guy could use the money. After all, if he sucked, they could just boot him out. And she hated giving interviews. It was just a florist shop after all. You didn't need a PHD or Master's degree to work in it.

"Okay, I'll pay you by the hour, all right? 500 yen per hour." 1

Kurama smiled, and nodded. He was happy to take it, even though it wasn't very high. He wrote on the paper, **'I'll come in tomorrow, in the afternoon after lunch.'**

"Don't be late," warned Shizuru.

The redhead stepped out from the shop and breathed in the scent of the late evening, and mouthed a silent thank you to nobody in particular. What a beautiful evening it was.

He would go home and paint again.

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"I'm home," said Hiei wearily as he entered his apartment, kicking off his shoes. His apartment was big and spacious, naturally, as having lots of money came in handy. However it was just the two of them, as Hiei rarely invited guests home. Neither did Yukina. Their rooms were designed by themselves, and they each had plenty of space.

A black kitten greeted him, pawing at his foot. Gently pushing it aside without hurting it, he strode to the kitchen where Yukina was busy cooking.

"Ah, Oniisan!" said Yukina, smiling as her face brightened. "Go and take a bath first, I'm almost done," she said sweetly. He nodded and went to his room, dumping the briefcase on the floor and undressing, eager for a relaxing bath to work out the stiffness in his back as he scrubbed. _This is what I get for sitting all day in my office, _he thought moodily. _And my work isn't even halfway done yet. _He closed his eyes and sank deeper into the tub, resting his arms on either side of the tub.

After deciding her brother had rested enough, she set the table and fed their black kitten, Oki. Oki was a present to her from Hiei, as she was lonely most of the time in their apartment when he was away working. She loved the little kitten very much, though for some reason it liked to enter Hiei's room and curl up on his lap when he was back.

"Oniisan," she called, knocking on his bathroom door. "Dinner's ready."

"Hai," he called back, getting out of the tub. Dressing in a T-shirt and pants, he joined her for dinner at the dining table, almost weak with hunger.

"So what happened yesterday, Oniisan?" asked Yukina.

"I fainted on the streets... I guess I was too tired," he said, shrugging. No, he would never admit to his office staff that he had fainted and some unknown stranger had helped him. He'd be the laughing stock, and he didn't want that.

"Too tired? Oniisan, you work too hard," admonished Yukina gently, ladling some soup into his bowl. He accepted it gratefully.

"Some guy took me in. I woke up in his bed. It was half past one by the time I woke up... so I ran back to the office..."

"You left without thanking him?!"

"Yeah. I didn't mean to," said Hiei hastily, as Yukina stared reproachfully at him.

"That's not nice... You have to go back and thank him properly," she said sternly.

Hiei sighed, giving in. Of course he had to, it just meant it was going to take up some of his precious time. Looking away from his sister, he proceeded to pick at his food moodily. Then something caught his eye, something directly in front of him. He raised his head to get a better look.

"I bought it this afternoon," said Yukina, looking proudly at it. "Isn't it beautiful? The way the artist painted the scenery...?"

Hiei nodded, but he wasn't paying attention to the scenery. It was a man sitting on his chair gazing out into the window, fixed on the mountains before him. Hiei couldn't help but notice how it was the windows who jumped out at him, not the scenery. Then he looked at the man. Half of his body was hidden by the chair, but the few random spikes of hair on his head made him feel uncomfortable.

_That man looks like me, even though I can't see his face. Or am I just being too conscious?_

When he entered his room after dinner, when Hiei picked up his dirty clothing to put in the laundry basket, Hiei noticed the scent of roses was back. He sniffed the bundle in his arms experimentally. The smell must have stuck onto my clothes in the lift, he thought, as he left the room.

The scent lingered faintly in his bedroom, when he returned to continue his work, as though unwilling to leave.

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How was it? Review, please!

1 Is 500 yen per hour expensive or cheap? XD

2 Kurama lost his voice. I purposely made it that way. XD It's not harmful, but I thought the idea of a love between someone who can talk and someone who can is just ... sweet. Lol.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you for the reviews!! I really appreciate it!!

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**Chapter 3 : Silent Portrait**

Kurama went to sleep after painting a field of flowers and grass, with two lovers on the hillside lying down in the night. He scrutinized it, pronounced himself satisfied, and set the price in his head. Putting away his tools and leaving it to dry, he went to bathroom to brush his teeth before turning in for the night. When he looked into the mirror, however, he got a shock of his life. Raising a finger to touch his cheek, as though determining whether he was real or not, he couldn't believe that the haggard, weary face in the mirror was actually him.

_When did I become like this?_

He sighed, finished washing up then tumbled onto his bed, lying on his stomach, hugging his pillow. His nose twitched; the scent of Jaganshi was still there. Kurama wondered if he would come back to thank him.

_Maybe he'll offer me a job_, thought Kurama, yawning, then dozed off to sleep.

The next morning, he got up early again as always, setting up his stand and began to paint, hoping for a buyer of sorts like the kind lady the day before. He wondered if they knew he was mute and couldn't speak. He wondered if they knew how it was like to lose your voice.

Kurama also wondered if the group of four girls giggling at him were interested in him or his paintings.

As people stopped to stare and admire his paintings before walking off, he wondered if they knew what it was like to have your hopes raised and crushed all the time, just like what they were doing. Unintentionally of course. Still, he hoped that someone would actually appreciate his talent and offer him something bigger. The probability of it happening was slim, but he hoped for it nonetheless. Kurama's thoughts strayed to Jaganshi, that corporate multimillionaire ... he chuckled as he imagined him in his shoes, painting and starving and having to move from place to place every time he couldn't pay the rent.

Kurama snorted. Then again, the man was probably more hardworking and resourceful than him, since he managed to build his entire company from scratch.

He shook his head, pushing away all other thoughts as he concentrated on his painting of various flowers, in honour of the florist shop who hired him the day before. _If this doesn't sell, I'll give it to them as a gift for hiring me ... perhaps they'll let me stay longer. _

The morning passed, and he sold none of his paintings. Sighing, he packed up his things and dumped them in his house before heading for the florist shop. Shizuru greeted him with a puff of smoke, which he decided was not very good for the shop, because the smell would stay on the flowers. He wrote it down and told her so.

"I'll smoke whenever I like," she had retorted, but quashed the cigarette in the ashtray anyway. She began giving him a few orders, and he lingered around at the back, unsure whether he should attend to a customer because he was mute. He didn't have to worry though, Shizuru did all the talking and just ordered him to fetch whatever was needed.

"Here, there's been an order for an arrangement of flowers, to be sent to a new shop opening somewhere. Let's see you handle your first arrangement. It should be grand, pick any flowers you'd think would go well, about medium-sized... get started."

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"Urameshi, will you stop that infernal racket!" growled Hiei, gritting his teeth and sending a death glare in the direction of his assistant. Yusuke was sitting opposite him, tapping his pen on the table to a random tune. Unfortunately for him, Hiei did not appreciate the music just now.

"Geez, what's up with you?"

"I have a meeting with clients in less than twenty minutes and I'm trying to prepare for it. That's what's up with me."

"Relax, man. You're such a big shot, even if you went in there and talked nuts, they'd all agree with you."

"Hn. Shut up."

"By the way, try and get me another secretary. I don't think Shinime and Yukimura can cope with the amount of fucking work," added Hiei as he scribbled furiously on the paper.

"Sure. I'll get to it."

Somehow Hiei did not believe that.

"Do you want it to be a sexy girl?" jeered Yusuke, grinning. Hiei raised his eyes from his work to glare at him.

"Why should it be gender specific?"

"Usually secretaries are females," said Yusuke, tapping his pen even more harder as he bobbed to a tune in his head. Hiei snarled, snatching the pen from him.

"You'll be the first male secretary if you continue that, Urameshi."

"Demote? Me? Oh, come on. Don't be so mean."

"Don't be so annoying."

"Oh, I'm not ... you like me, don't you."

"Hn."

"I know you can't help it, I'm such a ladies man," said his assistant proudly.

"Are you insinuating that I'm a woman?!"

"Yes," he retorted, smirking at his infuriated boss.

Yusuke left the room snickering, dodging the random book Hiei had thrown at him. _If he keeps this up, I'm going to kill him, and then myself_, thought Hiei, annoyed. The phone rang, and Hiei picked it up irritably.

"What is it?" he barked into the phone.

"Sir, your sister is on the other line, shall I put her through?" came a shaky, quavering voice from one of his staff whom he did not recognise. Neither did he care.

"Yes."

There was a click, and a pause as Hiei continued on with his work, before the voice of his sister came on.

"Oniisan?"

"Hai, Yukina, what is it?"

"Would you like to have lunch with me?"

Hiei winced. _How many times have I turned her invitation for lunch down again?_

"Gomen, Yukina, I have a lunch meeting with clients in about fifteen minutes ... I'll join you for dinner..."

"Oh, okay then ... oh, and have you thanked that man yet?"

"What man?"

"Oniisan..." said Yukina reproachfully.

"Oh, that man. No, not yet."

"Do you think you will have the time to do it?"

"Honestly ... no."

A sigh was heard at the other end, and Hiei cringed.

"I guess it can't be helped ... you always don't have time on your hands right?"

Hiei breathed a sigh of relief. _Good, I don't have to go around thanking people in the near future._ Unfortunately for him, Yukina mistook that sigh of relief as a sigh of ... disappointment.

"Oh, don't worry, I'll go thank him on your behalf."

"Na... Nani?! No, no, I won't let you go! It's too dangerous!"

"Don't worry, Oniisan, he helped you, so he must be a kind man ... it won't be dangerous. Where does he live? Do you remember?"

"I do, but I'm not telling you!"

"Oniisan!" exclaimed Yukina, shocked.

Hiei immediately shut up.

"How about this... We go tonight. We bring him out for dinner. Okay?" said Yukina, and though her voice was as gentle as it always had been, Hiei knew he could never, ever, fight it.

"Okay..." mumbled Hiei, very much resigned to the fact that he was going to be spending his night out, instead of working.

Which should be what most working people want, but not him.

* * *

"Not bad," remarked Shizuru as she stood observing the flower arrangement Kurama had tried his best to make. It certainly looked alright, although he had to stop himself multiple times from putting in roses. _Roses were especially for loved ones, not for a grand opening of some random shop, _Shizuru had said when she caught him happily sticking in a few roses in the design. He wondered why he was obsessed with roses, ever since he was young.

"Good, bring it to the back. We'll be closing soon."

The delivery van sped off with his creation, and for a moment he stood staring out the window watching the snow fall in a daze until Shizuru came in and bopped him on the head.

"Daydreamer! Help me close the shop!" grumbled Shizuru, clearing up the stuff. Kurama massaged his head woefully, then began to help.

"Aneki!" yelled a very loud voice, almost making Kurama drop a vase he had been carrying.

"Kazuma... I'm just about to close. How was work?"

"Ah... I guess it was fine. I'm so tired!" he exclaimed, bounding into view. _Shizuru's brother ... He's very tall, _Kurama noted, _with orange hair too ... seems likeable, even if he looked a little bit dense_. Kurama decided he was a nice guy ... as long as he didn't try to make a pass at him.

"Whoa, you hired someone new? What's your name?"

Shizuru turned back to look at the both of them.

"Oh my, I didn't even ask for your name when I hired you, did I?" said Shizuru, grinning. She pulled out a piece of paper, and a pen. Kurama wrote his name. Shizuru's brother looked confused, looking from his sister to Kurama.

"Minamino Kurama," she said aloud, before turning to her brother. "His name is Minamino Kurama, and he can't speak because of an accident or something."

Kurama held out his hand, smiling.

"Ah, I'm Kuwabara Kazuma... You can call me Kuwabara, if you like," said Kuwabara, shaking Kurama's hand.

"Good, now can you two clowns help me pack up and close the store?"

Kurama hastily complied, with Kuwabara trailing along behind him, grumbling. Finally, they closed the shop at around six after dealing with last minute customers. Kurama gave a little bow and a wave, before heading off home.

"He's good," said Shizuru to her brother.

"Good?"

"I've never seen someone put so much effort into making a simple flower arrangement. It was very beautiful, you should have seen it."

"Oh. Did you tell him, then?"

"No. Why should I? That would only inflate his ego and who knows what might happen then."

"I thought he was a girl at first."

"Yeah, me too."

"But can you imagine him with short hair?"

There was silence as the thought settled in, before saying, "No."

* * *

"Oniisan ... you're just trying to delay, aren't you?"

"No," said Hiei meekly. It was a lie, and they both knew it.

Before Hiei knew it, Yukina was dragging him out the door, ignoring his protests.

* * *

How was it how was it how was it? Review please!

Aneki I think it means elder sister. That's what Kuwabara calls Shizuru in the anime...

I made Kurama's full name Minamino Kurama because I dislike the name Shuichi and Youko is the silver kitsune … so, yeah. Lol.


	4. Chapter 4

Weee! Thanks for the reviews! I hope you enjoy this one

I have a question though ... if you're mute, can you giggle/laugh/chuckle/snicker/snarl/snore/sigh? LOL. Please help, it would make writing this a lot easier!

**

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Chapter 4 : Silent Portrait**

"Yukina..." grumbled Hiei as he was bodily dragged by his beloved twin sister down the road.

"Oniisan, come on! Where is it?"

"Somewhere here, I guess..."

Finally they found the house, tucked away in the corner of a block. They climbed up the stairs to the second floor, reaching the door. Yukina knocked on it, keeping a firm hold on her squirming brother.

The door opened a tiny crack.

"Um, hi..." began Yukina. "I... I came here to thank you for helping my brother yesterday when he fainted ... would it be all right if we came in?"

The door opened a little bit more, emerald orbs searching for the man he had helped yesterday, wondering if the lady was telling the truth. Finally, he opened the door, and let them in. Yukina walked in first, with Hiei trailing along moodily behind her. There wasn't a chair to sit, as the room was small and consisted of only a bed and a table, and a bathroom.

The redhead stood there unblinkingly, before shaking his head and rummaging the drawer of the table for something. Hiei noticed the door was not locked; if this man tried anything funny he could always grab Yukina and run for it. He stayed close by.

"Oh, it's you!" exclaimed Yukina, startling Hiei.

Kurama gave a big smile and a big bow.

"Oniisan, this is the artist who painted the painting I bought recently," said Yukina excitedly. "I'm Jaganshi Yukina... and my brother, Jaganshi Hiei. What's your name?"

Kurama grabbed a random piece of paper and one of his pencils and scribbled something down. He then handed it to Yukina.

**_'My name is Minamino Kurama. I'm sorry, but I am incapable of speech due to an accident sometime ago,' _**she read out aloud. Hiei's eyes snapped from his sister to Kurama, shocked.

"Oh, you poor thing," said Yukina. Kurama gave a little bow, as he didn't like sympathy or empathy, but he could tell that she was being sincere. He took the paper from her hands, and wrote again.

_**'Is there something you wanted to say to me?'**_

"Ah, yes, my brother would like to thank you for helping him," here she gestured to her brother, who grunted and looked away, "Oniisan, don't be so shy," she admonished, and Hiei mumbled something that sounded like "Thank you" but all Kurama could sense in those words were "Can I get out of here now?"

Kurama shook his head and his hands, bringing his palms up and smiled. _This sweet young lady is sister to a heartless corporate manager? Gosh._

"And we were wondering, would you like to have dinner with us?"

Kurama shook his head and waved his hand "No", but his stomach chose at the very wrong moment to grumble out loud, and he grimaced. Yukina giggled and Hiei smirked.

"It'll be fun," she said, her eyes smiling. But Kurama merely looked away as he wrote on the paper again.

_**'It would be difficult to communicate, unless you know sign language. The dinner would be uncomfortable...'**_

"Oh, then you can teach us sign language. Wouldn't that be nice, Oniisan?"

"Hn."

Kurama suppressed the urge to laugh. His eyes twinkling, he agreed.

"Okay! So where should we eat?"

"Let's just head to a nearby restaurant," suggested Hiei impatiently, wanting the evening to end as soon as possible. How can he be expected to relax when he had tons of work to do later? It would just build up and then make him even more stressed out. They nodded, not eager to be at the end of the well-known boss's wrath, and trailed along after him. Hiei picked a random restaurant opposite the street, and stormed inside. The restaurant, previously full of people chattering away, turned into a quiet hush.

Then...

"OH MY GOD!" shrieked one of the waitresses.

"Shut up, he can hear you!" another waiter hushed her.

Hiei groaned, shaking his head. The chattering started again, and he was pretty sure they were talking about him. Suddenly a man appeared before them, clearing his throat and unconsciously straightening his collar and shirt, attempting to look professional.

"Yes, Jaganshi-sama, table for how many?" said the man nervously.

"Three," he replied brusquely, although he would dearly have loved to ask the man if he knew how to count.

"This way," said the man, presumably the manager of the restaurant, before shooting a glare to one of the waitresses who was still squeaking ecstaticly.

"Ensure that we are not disturbed," added Hiei quickly, scowling. The manager coughed, startled, before nodding. He seated them and left for the menu.

"Oniisan, is that really necessary...?"

"Yes," he replied vehemently. Kurama sat opposite Hiei, with Yukina beside her brother. The redhead was staring outside the window, to avoid eye contact and possibly conversation, of which he knew he could not participate in easily.

_How did I get talked into this?_ wondered Kurama absently, as Yukina admonished her brother who was looking surlier and surlier by the second. His stomach growled loudly again, answering his question. Yukina pause in her lecture and giggled at him.

Silence settled in as Yukina searched desperately for a topic of discussion. She cast a sideways glance at her brother and sighed. It was obvious she was going to be doing the talking all night. Sometimes her brother could be _so _difficult ...

"So..."

Kurama's head snapped back to her from his gaze outside the window.

"I don't suppose you know who my brother is?"

Hiei sniffed, and looked away. Kurama smiled, and nodded yes.

"Ah, I see... Oh, and you know the painting I bought from you? It was really beautiful, and even my brother thought so too! Isn't that right Oniisan?"

Hiei grunted, leaving them to interpret for themselves what they meant. It was a tactic he used in conversations he did not like to answer.

"Where did you learn how to paint, Kurama-san?" asked Yukina kindly.

"..." There was silence as Kurama struggled for an answer. This was going to be a long night indeed ...

Suddenly a tall man and a girl approached their table. Hiei snarled and snapped his fingers and the manager was there in an instant.

"I thought I said I wanted privacy?" said Hiei coldly.

"Yes, sir, of course. I'm sorr - "

"Jaganshi Hiei?! Oh, Kurama, I didn't know you had such high-ranking friends!" said the girl, pulling out a cigarette.

Kurama stood up in shock. He gestured to Hiei, then to the manager, then to Shizuru and Kuwabara, then to himself, then just started waving his arms around madly and shaking his head.

"Alright, enough! I get it, I get it," said Hiei hotly. "You don't have to send them away," he said to the manager, sulking.

"Are these your friends, Kurama-san?"

"No, I'm actually his boss," came Shizuru's reply, making Kurama cringe. "Kuwabara Shizuru. And this is my idiot brother ... Kazuma... Kazuma? Oi, Kazuma!"

The tall man with the orange hair stared at Yukina, captivated by first sight, and although it sounded so clichéd even to himself, he could safely say that he just laid eyes on what he deemed most beautiful of all. He exhaled deeply when she turned to him and smiled. Kuwabara was so dumbstruck, he didn't even realize that Shizuru had pulled him down to sit beside Kurama.

Hiei didn't like the look his beloved sister was getting from this man, but all in all, he couldn't do anything at all. Yet.

"It was Kurama's first day at work today," explained Shizuru. "I own a florist's."

"But I thought you were an artist, Kurama-san?" said Yukina, turning to Kurama. Shizuru's eyes widened, then turned to him as well.

"An artist, eh? No wonder you came to ask for work. It must be difficult."

Kurama nodded sadly, then sighed.

"It was very nice of you to hire him, Shizuru-san. Most people wouldn't hire a mute person," said Yukina kindly, smiling at Kurama. Kurama, upon hearing this, nodded eagerly.

"Ah, well, I did need someone to help out after all. By the way, what's your name?"

"Jaganshi Yukina."

"Ah, the esteemed Jaganshi Hiei's twin sister. Nice to meet you."

"Yukina," breathed Kuwabara, worshipping the name. Shizuru smacked his head.

"Shizuru-san!" exclaimed Yukina, appalled. She would never hit her brother like that. "Kazuma-san, daijoubu?"

"I'm fine!" said Kuwabara, smiling, ecstatic that she asked if he was alright.

"Order," barked Hiei, making everyone at the table jump.

They ate and made small talk, except for Kurama and Hiei. Kurama wished to join the conversation, but knew that nothing would come out of it, so he turned to listening and laughing silently at some of the jokes Kuwabara cracked. Hiei was viciously stabbing at a random carrot on his plate. He did not suffer small talk, and it seemed everyone at the table knew it too, and left him to his massacring of food. Red eyes met green, and for a moment Hiei was lost in those big emerald eyes. Kurama was trying to decipher his glare, which seemed to be directed at practically everything around him. Suddenly they both realized they were staring, and quickly averted their gaze, returning to their food.

_He really needs to loosen up,_ thought Kurama. _He can talk, but he doesn't. I can't talk, but I want to ... _

Hiei watched his sister chat happily with Shizuru and Kuwabara, and he realized with a pain that she did not talk like that to him. It was always polite, and with an inquiry of his day, or an invitation of dinner, and a brief recap of her day.

It was always the two of them.

But now she just made friends in the blink of an eye right under his nose, with three new strangers Hiei did not want to trust. In the blink of an eye, he knew his sister would no longer be alone, yet it pained him to think that she would no longer need him that much anymore.

Perhaps he had shielded her from the world too long. Perhaps it was a good thing, as long as he kept his eye on her.

But why did he feel so miserable…?

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Review! Onegai!


	5. Chapter 5

OMG, suddenly I have more than the usual 7 reviews I get on average! Woohooo! Thank you minna!

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**Chapter 5 : Silent Portrait**

Hiei did not bother to pay attention to his sister's conversation. So it came as a very big surprise for him when she asked him, right in front of everybody, about what he thought about "it".

"What do I think about what, Yukina?"

"What do you think about me working at Shizuru-san's florist shop?"

Hiei faltered and nearly spit out his food. He stared at Shizuru and his sister with wide, disbelieving eyes. _Work? Workkk?? Yukina? Work and Yukina don't mix together! NO!_

"Demo, Yukina... we already have ... enough ... um, money," said Hiei, careful with his choice of words so as not to seem so proud of his money.

"I know, I mean, I want to go there and help, because they're so nice to talk to."

Hiei caught the wistful and loneliness in those few simple words, and mentally cursed himself. He then did the biggest mistake ever ... looking into his sister's pleading eyes.

"Do you really want to?" said Hiei, sighing.

"Yes!"

"...Suit yourself ... just be careful ..."

Yukina laughed and hugged her brother in front of them, who was slowly turning a brilliant shade of red. The rest of them chuckled good-heartedly. Shizuru found herself another helper, who happened to be the richest bachelor's sister in town, so began discussing payment.

"So you don't want to be paid, Yukina?" asked Shizuru. Hiei's eyes narrowed.

"My sister will not be your slave," said Hiei in disdain, glaring.

"Of course not, Oniisan. I just want to help out. And also, I want to learn more sign language from Kurama so we can communicate better," said Yukina kindly. Kurama's eyes watered, and he looked away.

"Yeah, that makes three of us," said Kuwabara, ruffling Kurama's hair beside him. Kurama let out a strangled yelp and pushed Kuwabara away, patting his head fondly, while sending a mock glare to Kuwabara.

"Vain," said Hiei, then mentally slapping himself. He usually didn't make his comments known unless he wanted them to be.

"Oniisan!" said Yukina, surprised, then giggled when Kurama pouted. He pointed to Hiei's hair and covered his eyes.

"What?" said Hiei gruffly, gingerly touching his hair.

"I believe Kurama's trying to say ... Your hair, Jaganshi-sama, is so ... unruly," said Shizuru, giggling, then turning to look more closely at Kurama's hair. Kurama nodded cheekily at Hiei, who scowled.

"Unruly?!"

"Oh, Shizuru-san, don't call my brother Jaganshi-sama. We're all friends, right? You can just address him by name," said Yukina, and Hiei gaped at her once more. _Who gave her permission to freely let other people call me by my first name?! _

"Kurama's hair is so ... um..."

"Red?" suggested Kuwabara, then they all laughed again, while Kurama and Hiei rolled their eyes.

"Why do you keep your hair long, Kurama-san?"

Kurama sat still, unsure of how to reply.

"Okay, let's all guess, and he can nod yes or no..."

"Okay... you kept your hair long because ... you saw it in a fashion magazine and copied it?" said Shizuru, sniggering. Kurama rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"No, no, he kept his hair long because he's a transvestite!" said Kuwabara, laughing hard. Kurama whacked him on his head and shook his head even more vigorously.

"Baka," said Hiei softly. Everyone turned to him.

"You kept your hair long because you don't have any money, or anybody to cut it for you," stated Hiei plainly. Kurama smiled, rather sadly, then nodded.

"And after you grew your hair long, you found you rather liked it, so decided to keep it that way?" chirped Yukina, smiling at her brother.

Kurama nodded, smiling bigger this time, while fondling one of his locks that covered his ears.

"I believe Hiei's right, Kurama," said Shizuru. "You're so vain."

Kurama harrumphed, then turned away with his nose high in the air. Kuwabara cracked up again, and this time Kurama hit him harder, his eyebrow twitching.

So the night continued, as the next victim was Hiei with his 'unruly' hair ... and other various topics of interest as the group of five got to know each other better.

Hiei didn't realize that all thoughts of work were pushed from his mind then.

* * *

"That was fun, wasn't it, Oniisan?" said Yukina, smiling, as she walked with her brother back to their apartment. Hiei grunted, half-agreeing.

"You know, Oniisan, our social lives are so ... " Yukina trailed off as she searched for the correct word.

"Nonexistent?" said Hiei helpfully.

"Yes... isn't that rather sad? But I'm happy today, because I gained two, no, three new friends today."

"You're happy today... because of that?"

"Yes."

"So if they leave ... if an argument arises ... you'll be very sad, won't you?"

"Yes..." said Yukina, unsure as to where this was going.

"This is probably why I dislike ... 'socializing'. I've been backstabbed before so many times. I've been let down by people I thought I could depend on. I'm not like you, Yukina. I don't trust everyone I meet at first sight."

They reached the lift, and Yukina pondered over her brother's words.

"But, what about them? What about just now?"

"Hn. I don't know yet. Perhaps we'll see if they're really good people or not. You must not forget, Yukina, I am in a position where it is dangerous to assume that everyone is your friend. That everyone respects you and likes you. Those who do either want something out of me or they just want to get close to break me. I have no friends, and I do not care for them," said Hiei harshly.

Yukina lowered her eyes to the floor.

"But that does not mean I will not let you be the same..." said Hiei softly. "I want you to be happy. I realize now that you are lonely, especially since I'm working. So.. if they make you happy ... I won't stop you from seeing them."

Yukina squeezed her brother's hand, letting him know she would be alright.

"But, Oniisan ... I want you to be happy too. I know they are good people, I know they are good friends. You should make some friends, they will help you when you are in need of it," said Yukina earnestly. Hiei unlocked the door and stepped into their apartment. Before he turned to enter his room, he fixed Yukina with a determined stare.

"Perhaps. Don't worry, I'm a loner, and I'm used to it, Yukina."

They bade each other goodnight, and Yukina retired to her room after feeding Oki. As she drifted off to sleep, however, she was sure of one thing.

She knew her brother was lying.

* * *

Somehow, that night, Hiei couldn't concentrate, and it was getting frustrating. His work lay on the table before him, but everything he read seemed to just ooze out of his ears. _What's wrong with me? _thought Hiei, annoyed. He rubbed his forehead, trying to lessen the impending headache. Unconsciously, he ran his fingers through his hair and thought back to the conversation earlier.

_Unruly, huh ... _

His thoughts wandered to other things, like worrying about Yukina's first day at 'work' tomorrow, his mind playing out all sorts of things which included the three new "friends" making Yukina cry, and his fists clenched.

Something soft and furry brushed against his leg, jolting him back to reality. He glanced down. Oki was there, languidly rubbing her cheek against his leg, begging to be picked up. He picked up the kitten and placed it on his lap, idly petting the soft fur.

He wondered if Kurama's hair was as soft as this, like how it looked during dinner. He snorted.

Oki started purring, shattering the silence in the room. Sighing, Hiei shook his head, clearing all thoughts of everything other than work from his head. He didn't even bother to wonder why his thoughts had flew to Kurama just now.

The sound of Oki's purring and the scratch of a pen against paper filled the room again.

The scent of roses remained, stronger than before, but Hiei did not notice.

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How was it how was it! Review please!


	6. Chapter 6

Lol... this appears at the beginning of every chapter, but once again ... thank you all to those who have reviewed!

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**Chapter 6 : Silent Portrait**

"Oh no... Oniisan! Who's going to take care of Oki?" Yukina had cried frantically as Hiei got ready for work that morning.

He could have told Yukina that he honestly didn't care, but then he knew that she knew that it wasn't very _honest _at all. Sometimes he wished his sister didn't know him that well.

"Meow..."

...and that was how the kitten ended up in Hiei's office, snugly wrapped around Hiei's leg, purring.

Hiei gritted his teeth. Yusuke, Botan and Keiko edged away from their boss, not daring to look at him. Yusuke had sniggered when he waltzed into Hiei's office and caught sight of the kitten cage, which earned him a glare promising death if he made any smartass comment about it.

"Mrowwr..."

"Oki..." said Hiei sharply, heaving a great sigh. The kitten meowed in reply, totally oblivious of Hiei's twitching eyebrow. He liked the kitten, but having it at work was a totally different thing. It needed attention, love, care, play ... damn, it needed all the things Hiei did not want to bother himself with when he needed to work. And it tickled. Earlier Oki had made such a racket in her cage he had no choice but to let her out.

And now she demanded to be petted.

"Urameshi," snapped Hiei, turning his frustration onto his poor assistant. Yusuke sauntered over with a smirk. Hiei picked his cat up and thrust her into his arms.

"Take care of her. Let the girls play with her or whatever, just make sure she doesn't disturb me."

"Right-o, boss."

"And don't let her out of this office either. I don't need people stepping on her."

"Sure."

"And make sure you handle her properly, or you're fired."

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "No prob..."

"And..."

"Gosh, alright already! We'll treat her like a princess, okay?"

Hiei glared, then lifted a hand to wave him away. Sighing, he continued his work. He tried desperately to push all thoughts of Yukina away, since he couldn't help but worry about how she was doing in her new "workplace". He had Shizuru's florist shop number and was anxiously waiting for a call from her, because he knew that she would worry about him worrying about her.

Hiei blinked at that thought, then shook his head in an attempt to clear his mind and all his senses. His smartass assistant was cooing all sorts of nonsense to his kitten. The multimillionaire rolled his eyes.

It was a beautiful morning that day, but it was going to be a long one ...

* * *

"Where is Kurama-san?" asked Yukina after waving off a customer who bought a bouquet of flowers. Shizuru sat at the counter boredly reading a magazine.

"He comes in after lunch. I think he tries to sell his paintings in the morning, then he works here in the afternoon."

"Oh, I see..."

So the whole morning was spent attending to customers, chatting with Shizuru and learning new types of flowers and how to handle them. At around eleven, Yukina borrowed the phone to call her workaholic brother. Shizuru had invited her for lunch, and so she decided to ask if Hiei would like to come along.

"Oniisan?" said Yukina after her call was placed through.

"Yukina."

"I'm having lunch with Shizuru-san later. Would you like to join us?"

There was a pause at the other end of the line; it seemed like he was struggling for an answer. However, his reply struck her as odd, and one she would ponder on later that night.

"Do you want me to, Yukina?"

"Huh? Of course!"

"Okay. What time?"

"At about twelve ... we'll wait for you at the shop. You know the way there right?"

"I walked you there this morning. Of course I know the way."

"Okay, see you then. Bye," said Yukina, and she hung up.

"Your brother is very protective of you," remarked Shizuru. She had noticed it since the first day she met the twins.

"Yes... is it a bad thing?"

"No, I just find it unusual that you're not bothered or annoyed by it."

"Oh. Why should I be?" said Yukina, confused.

"Well ... never mind. Don't worry your pretty head over it. I guess I wouldn't know, since I only have a younger brother."

"Eh? Kazuma is _younger _than you?"

Shizuru sweatdropped.

* * *

It never occurred to Hiei that all Yukina's lunch invitations might not have been so sincere after all, until now. How many times had he turned her down? Countless. _Until it just became a routine question_, thought Hiei. _How are you, Oniisan? How was your day? Would you like to join me for lunch? _

To which he replied the same answers as well. So he was the one to blame. He never initiated conversation. And because the question and answer was so routine, Hiei realized that she's gotten so used to disappointment until it became a neutral emotion. Hiei buried his face in his palms.

"How on earth can she be so patient with me?" whispered Hiei to himself.

Frustrated, he walked over to Yusuke, plucked a squirming kitten out of his arms and strode back to his desk where he set Oki on his lap and tried to calm himself down. Insecurity was one thing Hiei did not like to feel, yet he knew he felt it almost every single day. Afraid of something bad happening to Yukina, afraid of her leaving him, afraid of her being hurt... afraid of taking away her happiness, afraid of making her sad, and afraid of the day when she no longer needs him.

_Why do I want her to depend on me? _

His thoughts were a mess throughout the whole agonizing hour. At around twelve he put Oki in her cage and walked out of his office building, in dire need of some fresh air to do him some good. _I'll just have to make things better from now on. Like, having lunch with her ... _

As he let his legs carry him in the direction of the florist, his eyes caught sight of a familiar redhead by the sidewalk. He drew closer and he saw the gloomy face of Kurama's as he packed up his things. Hiei stopped, unsure of whether or not to greet the mute man.

Kurama's emerald eyes lit up in recognition when he saw who it was standing in front of him, and he gave a cute little wave. He cocked his head to one side, gesturing to Hiei, as if to ask, "What are you doing here?"

Silence settled in, before Hiei said, "I'm going to have lunch with Yukina."

Another unsettling silence set in as they both stood there, one unable to say anything and the other unsure of what to say.

In the end, Hiei nodded his head in the direction of the florist, all the while keeping his fiery gaze locked onto Kurama's. Slightly startled, Kurama only hesitated a while before nodding and gracing the multimillionaire with a small smile, accepting the invitation for lunch. They walked on in silence, as was normal with a mute and an antisocial, yet they didn't seem to mind. Kurama knew the man had a hard life and was probably not used to making small talk. Anyway, the silence was probably better than boring talk about the weather.

Hiei, of course, preferred a silent companion much like Kurama rather than a chattering one like his annoying secretary and assistant. Kurama wondered what luck he could possibly have to befriend this multimillionaire introvert. That is, if he was considered a friend. Perhaps he only tolerated him because of his sister. He shook those thoughts away.

They reached the place soon enough. Yukina and Shizuru greeted them just as they were about to close, locking the door with an 'Out for Lunch' sign pasted on the inside.

"Kurama-san, you came too!"

"I bumped into him just now. I invited him for lunch," said Hiei, gesturing to Kurama who flashed a smile at the two girls.

"That's nice. Kurama will have to be at the shop after lunch anyway," added Shizuru.

"You weren't busy today, Oniisan?" inquired Yukina politely. Hiei fidgeted a bit, recalling his earlier thoughts before mumbling "No". It was hard to pretend as though nothing was wrong.

Yukina noticed his uneasiness, but made no comment about it. Instead they walked to the restaurant with Shizuru leading the way in the front. However, Yukina wasn't the only one who noticed her brother's demeanour.

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Yes! Another chapter done! Please review! Thank you! 


	7. Chapter 7

Dammit all! The story alerts are not working! -cries-

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**Chapter 7 : Silent Portrait**

Yusuke and Keiko were bickering as they walked down the street minutes after their boss left the office. The day was an unusual one, as Hiei brought company in the form of a cute black kitten. Needless to say, none of the girls got much work done, although Hiei did not seem to mind as it took the playful kitten away from his hands. Oki, as Hiei had so bluntly replied when Yusuke had asked for the furry animal's name, was sweet and playful and cute and cuddly and so very fluffy, except when she was being forced into her cage.

Sadly, her cries and wails did not faze the three as they waltzed out the door for lunch.

Along the way, however, they spotted a very familiar, spiky black head standing stock still while he appeared to be conversing with a redhead. Their eyes grew wide when the redhead followed him by his side down the street.

_It was definitely not a normal day,_ decided Yusuke.

Hiei was not known for his social skills. People he knew were not considered friends to him. People who knew him knew he didn't consider them as friends. Which is why most drifted away, except Yusuke. Yusuke liked his boss. His boss was a cool boss. His boss said what he liked and did what he liked, and Yusuke respected him for that. Yusuke himself behaved like that too, except he wasn't in such position to do so without having it hurled back into his face. _Someday,_ he thought, _he'll accept me as a friend. And soon after, Keiko and Botan too._ _And Japan's richest bachelor need no longer be saved. _

But who was this mysterious redhead? What was Hiei's connection to him?

They trailed the two until they stopped at a florist, meeting with Hiei's sister and another girl. Again their curiousity was piqued. Perhaps there was more to him than what he projects to the world ... an introvert.

"Psst ... Yusuke, should we follow on some more?"

"Yeah, but I'm hungry!"

"Shut up!"

"What, may I ask, are you three doing here?" came a cold voice, effectively sending the temperature plummeting.

The three of them gulped simultaneously.

"Um... we're here for lunch?"

Hiei raised an eyebrow. They were indeed standing right outside the restaurant Hiei had walked in, but in the midst of their decision-making they did not notice Hiei come out.

"Yeah, let's have lunch together, boss!" said Yusuke hastily, trying to hide his nervousness. Keiko and Botan beamed for added effect.

"Do you mind?"

"Yes," snapped Hiei.

"Oniisan? What are you doing out here? We haven't even ordered yet..."

Hiei mentally slapped and kicked himself.

"Hello, Yukina-san," said Keiko and Botan warmly. Yusuke flashed a million-dollar smile at her and said, "We just bumped into our boss while deciding where to eat for lunch."

"Well, why don't you join us then?" said Yukina brightly. Hiei was smoldering, but safely protected by his sister, the three of them nodded and proceeded inside the restaurant.

"The more the merrier, I say," said Yusuke as he winked at his boss.

"That's right," chirped Yukina as they went back to their seats.

They reached the table where Shizuru was talking to Kurama while the latter just nodded and smiled.

"Friends of yours, Hiei?"

"My assistant. And secretaries."

They greeted and introduced each other, and soon it came to Kurama's turn.

"This is Kurama-san," said Yukina, gesturing to Kurama. Kurama stood up and bowed a little, before holding out a hand to shake. "He's not capable of speaking due to an accident."

Yusuke, Keiko and Botan's reaction, however, was not due to his disability.

"Um. He's not a girl?"

Kurama's eyebrow twitched, but his smile remained nevertheless.

"Keiko, I'm sorry, hon, but I think I've just turned gay," joked Yusuke and Kurama blushed the same colour as his hair. Hiei, however, felt his chest tighten, for reasons unknown to him. The rest of them laughed good-heartedly while Yusuke told Kurama not to worry, because he was only joking.

"Honestly, though, you're very, er, pretty, for a guy," he added as he winked. Kurama took it as a compliment and smiled.

As they sat down to eat, Hiei couldn't help but wonder what that weird feeling was when Yusuke tried to hit on Kurama. He didn't get very far in contemplating as the noisy chatter of the group made it hard to think.

Yusuke was telling all sorts of dirty jokes to Shizuru and Kurama. Hiei gave him a killer look when Yukina had asked him what was so funny, and luckily for him he decided not to corrupt the boss's innocent sister. Keiko and Botan then engaged Yukina in conversation, whereas Hiei was just stuck in between, but listening intently to both conversations.

"So, Oniisan, how is Oki?"

"She's fine. They played with her while I worked this morning," replied Hiei.

"She's so cute," gushed Keiko and Botan.

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that the next time you try to lock her into her cage," retorted Yusuke.

"I hope you didn't manhandle my cat, Urameshi," said Hiei darkly. Yusuke quickly shook his head 'No'. Eager to get off his boss's unrelenting glare, he turned his attention to Kurama.

"So, Kurama. How ya holding up?"

Kurama shrugged nonchalantly while munching on his food.

"What do you work as?"

Kurama lifted his fingers delicately and made a brush stroke motion. Yusuke blinked.

"Erh... Calligraphy?"

Kurama shook his head, this time making a dipping motion into his outstretched hand.

"Oh... I get it, painting!"

Kurama nodded, smiling. Then he gestured to Shizuru.

"He sells his paintings in the morning, he works part time in my shop in the afternoon. Selling flowers," said Shizuru.

"Why can't he just set his stand in your shop? That way, he can help you sell flowers and at the same time sell his paintings," suggested Keiko. Kurama smiled and clapped his hands, before looking to Shizuru for consent.

"You know, that's actually not such a bad idea..." said Shizuru thoughtfully. Then she laughed at the look on Kurama's face.

"Alright, alright, you can put your paintings up, as long as it doesn't make the place messy or take up too much space..."

Kurama's smile was genuine. Hiei saw it. And for some reason, that smile unnerved him.

* * *

"That was really fun, Oniisan," said Yukina sweetly to her brother before walking off with Shizuru and Kurama back to the shop. "I'll see you tonight."

"Okay. See you later," replied Hiei as he walked off with Yusuke, Keiko and Botan.

"Your sister is so nice, Jaganshi-san," said Keiko. Botan agreed as well; Yukina was so unlike their moody boss, and the fact that the two were twins was even more mind-boggling.

"Hn."

"So, Yusuke, you really dumping Keiko for Kurama?" asked Botan, giggling.

Yusuke made a lovestruck and lovesick expression, shielding his face from Keiko, clutching his heart and saying in a mournful voice...

"Keiko, I'm sorry ... but ... my heart has been captured... by another... man," said Yusuke dramatically, then burst out cackling as he dodged Keiko's punch.

"Aww ... you jealous, Keiko? Don't worry, you knoooow I love youuu..." crooned Yusuke, while Keiko tried to look annoyed.

"Shut up," growled Hiei, irritated.

"You jealous as well, boss?" said Yusuke incredulously. Then, grinning, he placed his arm around the shorter man's shoulders.

"I love you too, boss," he yelled for everyone to hear. "I love you! I love you! I looooove Y - accckkk!!"

"You asshole, you asked for it!" roared Hiei as he trapped Yusuke in a headlock.

"Get a room," remarked a passer-by.

"Get a life," snapped Hiei as he released Yusuke, before turning to walk faster back to the office.

"Oh, come on, I was only joking, Hiei. I'm straight," drawled Yusuke.

"Hn," came the monotonous reply.

"Serious! I'm as straight as you are! Kurama may be pretty and hot and sexy and all," said Yusuke, and Hiei winced and about five miles away Kurama sneezed (1), "but I'm not into guys."

"You actually think he's pretty and hot ... and sexy?" said Hiei incredulously as they walked into their office building.

"Well, he is! Man, if he was a girl ... eheheh, don't look at me like that, Keiko. For all I know, _you _might the one to dump me and go after him."

"What?!" sputtered Keiko. "I would never do such a thing! I'll just leave him for Botan..." she added, casting a glance at Botan.

"I wouldn't take him, Keiko."

"I was joking, Botan. We all know how attached you are to Koenma," said Keiko, giggling.

Botan blushed a bright red. Hiei, of course, did not know who this Koenma was, and did not particularly care. Something was nagging at his thoughts, but he pushed it aside, as he always did all the time.

* * *

Throughout the whole of that afternoon, Kurama couldn't help but feel guilty that he obtained a free meal for lunch again. He vowed to decline the next time he ever was invited. It wasn't as if he didn't have any money at all. A meal or two he could afford, just not that expensive. Hiei had paid the bill as always, since he was the only one with enough money to carelessly throw away.

Yusuke was a cheerful and happy guy, and Kurama knew he would get along well with him. _I dread the day he and Kuwabara meet though_, thought Kurama, shuddering. _I wonder how Hiei puts up with Yusuke._

As his eyes caught sight of Yukina who was happily entertaining a customer, he also wondered why Hiei had such a pained look in his eyes earlier.

* * *

(1) - there's sort of like a 'tradition/custom/' thing, if people are talking about you, you sneeze. XD

There will be NO YusukeKurama romance. muahahaa. I like that pairing, but I prefer HieiKurama better XD And BotanKoenma ... well, I felt I had to bring Botan some lurrvee XD Review please! Thank you!


	8. Chapter 8

I'm trying to make chapters longer, right now I'm averaging 1600 words per chapter ...

Thank you all for reviewing!

* * *

**Chapter 8 : Silent Portrait**

Yukina had decided that Oki would stay at home from now on, after seeing how much trouble it had caused her brother during work. As she retired to her room that night, she started pondering about her brother's peculiar behaviour that day. What had he meant by it all?

Hiei sounded lonely and wistful. And it seemed like she couldn't do anything at all. _Am I not showing enough love for him?_ thought Yukina sadly. _That cannot be right... It has been this way for so long, or perhaps he has already felt this way...? _

She tossed and turned in her bed, trying to figure out the enigma that is her brother. He was a loner, a man who likes his solitude. Or did he actually yearn the company of another, but still insists on pushing that wanted feeling aside?

Yukina thought back to the time she met Hiei. She thought back to the time he had told her about his life. And she knew he really had it tough as a kid.

Sighing, she got out of bed for a glass of water to drink.

* * *

Hiei woke up with a start, breathing heavily. For a moment he did not recognize where he was, then finally he calmed down and assured himself he was alright, and this was his room, and nothing bad had happened. He got dressed and went into the kitchen for breakfast, where Yukina usually prepared. Instead of a plate full of yummy food, however, nothing was on the dining table.

_That's odd,_ thought Hiei.

"Yukina?" he called out, poking his head into the kitchen.

"Yukina!" he called again more frantically, bursting into her room. He stared at it in shock. The room was devoid of all furniture; it was as if she was never there in the first place. Even Oki was missing. Hiei cursed under his breath and fled out the door to Shizuru's shop. _This is unusual_, he thought as he ran, _she doesn't usually leave before me! _

He skidded to a stop outside the florist's, but it was still closed. _Closed?! It's already nine in the morning! _Hiei ran to his office in the opposite direction, and burst in through the doors. Nobody greeted him, nobody looked up from his or her work to ask what was wrong... because nobody was there. Even Yusuke and the two girls were not there.

His office was empty. _And worse, worse still_, thought Hiei as his heart seemed to plummet down into somewhere near his stomach ... _Yukina is nowhere to be found. _

_Where is she? _

"YUKINA!" he hollered, his voice rasping, running back to his apartment. As he ran, he became aware of the stillness of the air, and the echo of his voice as he called out for his sister, called out until his throat hurt. The streets were empty; it seemed like he was the only living thing around.

_Don't leave me!_

He stumbled through the door of his apartment, but nothing had changed. His sister was still not there.

_Don't leave me..._

A menacing woman stood at the end of the hallway, raising what looked like a cane, mouthing something harsh to him...

* * *

"Oniisan!" cried a voice, startling him awake for real this time. He awoke with Yukina's name on his lips, crying out as he gasped for air. He opened his eyes, and was relieved to see Yukina by his side. Letting out a strangled cry, he clutched Yukina's hands tightly, curling up into a ball, and then he started to mumble inaudibly. Yukina gently stroked her brother's hands and Hiei soon calmed down enough to fall asleep. 

"Yukina... don't leave me..." came a muttered plea.

Hiei's pleading voice almost broke Yukina's heart on the spot.

"I won't leave you, Oniisan... I'm right here."

"Don't leave me..."

_This is what Oniisan's afraid of? Afraid of losing me? Why? Why would he think that I'd leave him?_

Sighing, Yukina smiled fondly and sadly at the same time as she gazed at her beloved brother. He looked so weary in his sleep, worry lines etched on his handsome face. There was a time when nightmares plagued him constantly, but it had been years since the last one. This nightmare too had been very unusual.

_Oniisan no baka... No one's going to leave you...Least of all me. _

* * *

"Hello?" 

"Hiruiseki Corp., how may I help you?" came a pleasant voice on the other end.

"Keiko-san? Is that you?"

"Yes, who is this?"

"This is Yukina... I'm calling in on behalf of my brother. He will not go to work today," said Yukina, biting her lip as she stared at the sleeping form across the room. Hiei would not be happy when he found out that she had called his office, but it was already ten in the morning and he showed no sign of waking up.

"What? Why? What happened?"

"Oniisan is a little sick... He is resting now."

"Oh, I see..."

"I have to go now, bye."

Yukina hung up before Keiko could say another word. Most likely Hiei would wake up very late that day, and she planned to have a long talk with him then. She couldn't stand to see him like this. The problem would have to be solved, whatever it was. Hopefully she can help him just as he always helped her. Then she dialed Shizuru's shop number but the dial tone that resounded told her that it was engaged.

* * *

Shizuru sighed as she looked at the clock. She had opened the shop about an hour ago, but Yukina did not turn up. Even Kurama came early to help set up the shop before setting up his stand, making sure not to take up so much space. He too was surprised to find that Yukina hadn't arrived yet. 

Needless to say, it was worrying the both of them.

"I'd better call Hiei," said Shizuru out loud as she dialed the number for Hiruiseki Corp. Hiei would know if Yukina had decided not to go to the shop that day. It was only the second day, after all, maybe Yukina didn't like working here, thought Shizuru.

"Good morning, Hiruiseki Corp., how may I help you?"

"Botan? Is that you?" said Shizuru, laughing slightly. The girl's normal and unusual high-pitched voice was easy for Shizuru to recognize. Her laughter ceased when a shrill scream sounded on the other side of the line. A muffled yell and some colourful curses could be heard.

"Hai, who's this?"

"Shizuru. Is Hiei there?"

"No, Hiei isn't here. Yukina called this morning, she said Hiei wasn't feeling well and won't be coming to work today," came the reply, and Shizuru winced when Yusuke's shout of glee floated over to the phone.

"Oh, I see... that would explain why she isn't here at the shop today," said Shizuru, then a loud BANG could be heard, "What on earth is going on there?"

"Um, Hiei's not here, so... Yusuke's having a jolly good time."

"Ah, right... okay then. Thanks. Bye."

Shizuru hung up and glanced over to Kurama who was looking questioningly at her, head tilted to one side.

"It seems that Hiei is not well and is not in the office. Maybe Yukina stayed home to take care of him."

Kurama mouthed a silent 'Ohh..' then went back to his work. As they bustled about doing business of their own and helping each other out, they still couldn't push away one thought in their minds... The esteemed Jaganshi-sama never took a day off. What had happened?

_Either Hiei was really sick, or he just needed to rest,_ thought Kurama as he began to paint the flower arrangement Shizuru had made. Suddenly the phone rang, startling them both from their thoughts. Shizuru picked it up. Kurama watched intently.

"Shizuru-san?"

"Yukina?"

"I can't come to the shop today, I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"Oniisan is sick. I'm taking care of him now."

"Is he alright?"

"He'll be fine. Don't worry. I have to go now, bye."

Shizuru stared at the phone. Yukina had ended the conversation so abruptly.

* * *

"Ugh..." 

His own voice didn't sound right to him. A stubborn headache was pounding terribly in his head, threatening to break free and unleash havoc. As it pounded, Hiei grew more and more irritated. Yukina came into the room then, and she brightened when she saw that he was awake. She sat down on the side of his bed, smiling at him.

"Oniisan, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Yukina. What time is it?"

"It's almost noon."

"What?! Noon?!" exclaimed Hiei. He jumped out of bed and was about to break his record in getting ready for work but Yukina stopped him with her words.

"No, Oniisan. I already called your office. I told them you won't be going to work today," said Yukina as calmly as she possibly could.

Shock registered on Hiei's face and hs tie dropped to the floor. He rounded on his sister. _She had no right... no right to do that._ His emotions were about to explode. Disbelief. Disappointment. Anger. Fury. Sadness.

_What was the difference?_ thought Hiei. _Why must there be emotions? Why must I feel?_

"Oniisan, I want to talk to you. You've been acting so weird lately... something's bothering you. I know it."

_And if I truly must feel..._

"Please, Oniisan... we have to talk."

_Why do negative feelings target me so? _

"There is nothing to talk about. I'm fine," stammered Hiei, and he turned to look at Yukina properly. She had a look of worry and confusion on her face. Hiei couldn't take it anymore.

"For the last time, Yukina. Please don't worry about me. I can't take it when you worry about me. I can't take it when you're sad because of me. So... don't."

Yukina got up from the bed, attempting to reason things with him. But every step she took, Hiei took a step back.

"What are you afraid of, Oniisan?" cried Yukina in anguish.

"I'm... I'm not afraid..."

"I heard you! You were crying out for me in your sleep. You were telling me not to leave. Well I'm not leaving! It is you who are leaving!"

Hiei shook his head, trying to shake out the pounding in his ears.

"You know I will never leave you, Oniisan. You are my brother," said Yukina, trying to get her brother to be more confident in her.

"I will break if you leave, Yukina," said Hiei, choking. "And I am already breaking now..."

And with that said, he ran out the door, still dressed in a black shirt and pants. He ran because he was afraid, because his feelings were a mess, he ran because he didn't know what to do or say anymore.

* * *

How was it how was it how was it? Review please! This chapter had a lot of line breaks, I'm sorry if it's annoying! But it dealt with a lot of different scenes, so ... yeah. 


	9. Chapter 9

To Cassidy, who commented on the use of "Oniisan no baka," I have watched a few anime, one of them being Honey and Clover, on which this story is loosely based upon, and in one part the female character, while crying, says "Mayama no... baka!" (Mayama being the male character she loves) so that's why I put Oniisan no baka. Lol. So, well .. maybe it should be Oniisan wa bakaa! LOL.

Some of you also have said that Yukina should call Hiei "ani". I do not want to use Ani in replacement for Oniisan because... well, people, you HAVE been reading this story, have you not? You do know that Hiei and Yukina's relationship isn't the type of normal brother and sister bickering, they are too formal with each other, which is why the strain is there? Gosh. Besides. I much prefer the use of Oniisan, than ani, because I cannot picture Yukina using that term.

Thank you all for reviewing!

* * *

**Chapter 9 : Silent Portrait**

Shizuru had been humming a tune, an irritating tune that stuck in Kurama's head and refused to get out. Annoyed, he huffed in her direction and continued painting. That morning he sold two of his smaller paintings, already he was looking forward to working in the shop everyday. Shizuru attended to the customers who came in and when he was free he would either do a flower arrangement or paint something, depending on his mood. Shizuru also helped to "advertise" his paintings to some of the customers. _Keiko was right, not only can I help Shizuru now ... but she can help me too ... _

Feeling hungry, he looked out the window at a nearby restaurant, deciding to have lunch on his own as Shizuru said she would be staying in the shop with a homemade bento for herself. As he pondered upon where and what was the cheapest food to eat, someone very familiar ran past the shop ... someone who was supposed to be sick...

"!!!" went Kurama, as his eyes widened in recognition. He gasped, causing Shizuru to look up in alarm.

"What is it, Kurama?"

Kurama made a sweeping motion with his hand towards the window, then mouthed Hiei's name.

"Hiei?! Isn't he sick?"

Kurama shrugged, and then he ran to the door to look out. He could vaguely see the spiky headed man running off to somewhere further down the street_. No doubt about it_, thought Kurama. _It's him! But where is he going? _

"That was him, right?" squealed a girl, passing by Kurama. Kurama listened closely.

"Yeah, I wonder where he was running off to? He was rather rude you know, he just pushed past people without caring," replied the other girl.

"He looked very angry about something. Still, he should be in his office, right?"

"Yeah... Maybe Hiruiseki Corp. is going bankrupt or something," said the girl, giggling.

They passed out of earshot, and Kurama stumbled back into the shop. It was definitely Hiei they were talking about. Who else owned Hiruiseki Corp.? As he walked in, he saw that Shizuru was on the phone. Her eyes met Kurama, and then she mouthed Yukina's name, while listening intently to the crying girl on the other side of the phone. Kurama's bewildered expression softened, while he waited patiently.

"Yukina, calm down, what happened?"

"I was trying to talk to Oniisan ... but ... but he got all upset, he said I was leaving him, he said if I left him he would break, and then he ran off, and oh, Shizuru-san, I'm afraid something might happen to him!"

"Kurama just saw him pass by, that's why we were wondering..."

"Oh, Shizuru-san, he'll never forgive me... it's all my fault..." sobbed Yukina.

"Nonsense, Yukina," said Shizuru sternly. "Everything's going to be fine. Don't worry, don't cry... Kurama's going to go talk some sense into his empty head now," she added, pointing at Kurama and then the door. Kurama sweatdropped.

Apparently the fact that Kurama can't talk slipped Shizuru's mind.

"Kurama, what on earth are you waiting for?! Go, catch him!" yelled Shizuru.

Kurama jumped, then bolted out the door. Shizuru continued to try to calm the little lady down.

He ran through the crowd, looking for the millionaire everywhere. _This is stupid_, thought Kurama, annoyed. _I can't even ask people if they've seen him or not. _He continued running blindly, keeping an eye and ear out for anything related to Hiei. He rounded a corner and after some time came to a stop outside a park. _Could he be in there?_

Taking a deep breath, he stepped inside the small park, walking slower now. He passed by many couples huddled together for warmth from the cold snow. Kurama groaned, in his haste to look for Kurama, he had forgotten to put on his jacket.

_What on earth can I do even if I find him? This is hopeless._

Then he spotted the man. His unruly black hair was too striking to not notice, much like Kurama's own red hair. Kurama idly ran his fingers through his thick mane while sighing. _Lucky I found him_, he thought as he approached the silent figure, _now what do I do? _

* * *

Hiei sat at the bench by himself, slouched and arms spread out as though he didn't have strength to hold his body straight up anymore. He let his head fall back, and stared at the endless blue sky. His gaze was hollow, empty ... devoid of emotion. It scared even him as he recalled running through the crowds... 

_Hn... waves of people flow through the city streets... as if to defy them, I walk alone... _(1)

Snow fell onto his face but it was already so numb he barely noticed, or even cared. There was endless noise around him, noise he couldn't comprehend at that moment even if he tried... and so he tuned it all out. Everything he heard became a single, buzzing, annoying sound. Hiei closed his eyes and sighed, his breath forming into a small wisp above him. It was only then he was aware of another presence near him. The bench creaked as that person sat down.

Hiei couldn't explain how he knew, but without even opening his eyes, he knew it was Kurama who sat down beside him.

_Perhaps, when one does not, or cannot, make himself known by the sound of his voice ... the aura of his presence speaks more than enough... _

They sat together in uncomfortable silence, but Kurama seemed to be the most uncomfortable as he had run out without his jacket. He ignored his shivering for the time being, and waited for the other man to say something. Kurama was getting colder and colder by the second, and was amazed to see that Hiei wasn't even bothered by the cold, despite him wearing only one layer of clothing. Still, he hugged himself to try and stay warm.

"What are you doing here?" said Hiei harshly. Kurama let out a sound oddly resembling something like "Ehh?" while turning to look at Hiei. Hiei then chuckled to himself, while shaking his head.

"You can't talk, of course... I forgot. Hn. Doesn't change the fact that you're here..."

Kurama inched a little bit closer, because Hiei had started mumbling.

"Why am I here? Why are you here?"

_Why indeed...? I'm here because I saw you running._

"Answer me!"

_I'm here because Shizuru sent me._

"Answer me dammit! Damn you ... damn you all..."

_I'm here because you're lost ... and you're breaking... _

"Yukina..."

_Why Yukina? What's wrong with Yukina? What's wrong with you ...?_

Hiei was talking to him, but was looking at the sky. Kurama took a deep breath and poked him on the shoulder... and ultimately received a death glare.

"What?" snapped Hiei. Kurama winced, holding up a palm and backing away slightly. Then his shoulders sagged. _How on earth do I ask him what's wrong? _

"If you're going to say something, say it," said Hiei roughly. Kurama scowled, but he knew the man didn't really mean it. Determined, he snatched Hiei's hand, ignoring the feral snarl of surprise that escaped Hiei's lips, then using his finger he spelled out the words **"What happened?" **on the rough, calloused, palm.

Hiei snatched his hand back. Kurama patiently waited for a reply.

"Hn. Why should you care what happened to me?" retorted Hiei.

_This is no good ... if he keeps answering me with questions we'll end up nowhere. _

"I suppose it can't hurt to tell you ... I mean, not like you'd go round telling everyone else..." muttered Hiei. Kurama nodded, holding his hand over his heart. Hiei grunted, but spoke anyway.

"Yukina... Yukina is the one thing I love the most in the world. My twin sister... I lost her once, and I'll be damned if I let it happen again..."

"But if she leaves willingly..." said Hiei, his voice trailing off. "She's all I have. She's the only one who can tolerate me."

_That's not true_, thought Kurama. _I can tolerate you. So far ... Yusuke also does. Are you blind to everything else because of her, Hiei...?_

"In the span of three days ever since I met you... she's made new friends. She has more friends than me. I've sheltered her from the world ... kept her only to myself."

Hiei turned to Kurama, piercing him with an intense, hollow gaze.

"I know of her longing for friends... I do. But I don't want her to be hurt..."

_Ah, but how do you prevent someone from being hurt? Especially from a friend...?_

"I don't trust the lot of you as far as I can throw you..."

Kurama cringed, slightly irritated by his distrust of people, but he knew there had to be a sure reason behind it. He decided to stop the ranting man.

"What?" said Hiei rudely, not appreciating the interruption.

Kurama shook his head, and wrote again the same words, **"What happened?"**

Hiei snatched his hand back again, grumbling. People were already starting to stare. He scowled, knowing that the impression they both gave was that of a couple. A gay couple, that is.

"Yukina said I'd been distant lately. She wanted to talk to me. I told her there was nothing to talk about."

Silence.

Kurama poked him harder this time, wanting the whole story.

"Stop poking me," snarled Hiei, baring his teeth. "I had a nightmare, alright?" he added, looking away, his face burning with shame.

_There's nothing to be embarrassed about, Hiei..._

"I'm not telling you what it is. Well, I suppose I was afraid of Yukina leaving me, like, to get married or something or live away from me, and she heard me ... sleep talking."

"I don't know exactly what it is I said," lied Hiei, determined to cover up his embarrassment, although he didn't know Kurama did not mind. "But she told me she would never leave me..."

_So what's the problem?_

Silence again. This time Kurama gently took Hiei's hand and wrote, **"Why don't you believe her?"**

Hiei did not pull away from Kurama's hold but instead stared at his hand, thinking hard.

"I... I don't know," he finally managed to say. He continued staring at his hand. Kurama wrote again, slowly, making sure he caught every word that was being spelt out for him.

**"How would she leave you?"**

"How? Hn. She'd get married ... but I can't prevent that, can I? I don't want her to live alone..."

There was a pause as Hiei seemed to gather his thoughts.

"I... We don't talk much. She talks to me, but ... but I don't. And since she met all of you, she might want that kind of attention I cannot give... and when I cannot give it... she will leave..."

Kurama's eyes were wide open in astonishment.

"She will spend more and more time away from me..."

_Yukina wouldn't do that... right? She knows her brother only too well. She knows his character. _

"She will get tired of me..."

_It is you who has the problem, Hiei. You who shun all form of kindness..._

"And..."

_It is you who cannot accommodate a little for others..._

"I would end up hurting her..." said Hiei, throwing his head back again to stare up at the sky moodily.

_It is you who determine her happiness for now, and you know it. _

Kurama wrote again on his palm...only one word this time... **"Change."**

"Change?" repeated Hiei blankly. Kurama nodded. Hiei raised his eyes to meet emerald ones of Kurama, shooting a look saying "Explain," regardless of the fact that Kurama couldn't talk and if they continued on the writing-on-your-hand thing any longer and they were bound to be labeled as gay in the eyes of society. Especially since he was well-known.

Kurama's stomach grumbled. He looked down at it in surprise, then sheepishly looked at Hiei again. Then, smiling mischievously, he tilted his head to one side and pointed at his temple, mouthing the words "Think," before reaching over to poke Hiei's head, then quickly ran off before the fiery-tempered man could react. He was hungry, and he seemed sure of himself that Hiei would be all right. The man was not dumb after all.

"Kurama," growled Hiei, massaging his head where Kurama had stuck his finger into.

_What did he mean by change? Change... me? That's absurd... _thought Hiei as he got up from the bench.

_Why should I change? What part of me do I change?_

As he walked out of the park though, something flew into his arms and he looked down to see Yukina crying, and further down a bright redhead standing in the crowd smiling at them.

_I should change because... it'll make Yukina happy._

"Gomen, Yukina," he whispered, hugging her tightly, savouring the moment... and out of the corner of his eye he saw Kurama turn and walk off.

_I should change because I'm the one who's wrong._

* * *

(1) - Lyrics from one of Hiei's songs, sung by Nobuyuki Hiyama with the hot-damn voice, which is "Turn Your Back To The Twilight". 

Revieww! Onegaaiii! Thank youu!


	10. Chapter 10

I am not a Kuwabara hater. Enough said. Lol. There will definitely be KuwaYuki romance. And murderous intents of a certain brother as well. And ... Okay, can't give away too much. Lol.

Anybody know how much rental costs are in Japan...?? I really hate it when I feel like I'm writing something wrong. Lol.

Oh, and someone give me a video game name that Yusuke would probably play.

OH, hehehe, I need to know when it snows in Japan! It snows in Japan, right? Right? I really need to know! It's essential to this fic! Please help! Thanks! Like, when is spring, summer, winter ... snowwwww... lol.

* * *

**Chapter 10 : Silent Portrait**

"I came down to find you after talking to Shizuru-san, Oniisan. She told me Kurama-kun went after you," said Yukina, walking beside her brother on the way back to their apartment.

"Yeah."

"I wonder though ... how did you two manage to talk?" asked Yukina, turning to look at him. Her eyes widened when she saw his face. Blinking, she tried to look again without her brother noticing, but he had turned away. _Was that ... a blush...?_

"That idiot wrote on my hand with his finger," said Hiei gruffly. "I hope there weren't any photographers or reporters snooping around."

"Oh..." _That explains the blushing_, thought Yukina, trying not to giggle.

They continued on in silence, passing by the florist's where Yukina smiled at Shizuru and Hiei gave a curt nod. He also made a mental note to thank Kurama yet again.

"Let's go somewhere for lunch..." suggested Hiei, breaking the silence for the first time in many years.

"Are you sure, Oniisan?" said Yukina uncertainly. She knew her brother disliked showing his face in public restaurants. Paparazzi didn't follow him around that often, but he remained repulsed by the idea that everyone would be staring at him. It gave a very vulnerable feeling.

Yukina had often wondered why her brother refused to hire a bodyguard.

"Hai. It's too late for you to cook anyway," replied Hiei.

* * *

Kurama sat there impatiently waiting for his food, tracing random words with his finger on the table. It took him awhile before he realized he was doing it. He held up his hand, examining it closely, before rubbing his palm with his other hand.

The arrival of his food jolted him from his thoughts of nothing in particular.

_I hope those two are okay_, thought Kurama absently as he munched on his food. He ate quickly so that he could return to the shop earlier.

* * *

The twins settled in a quiet, cozy, not too crowded restaurant tucked away in the corner of the block. They ordered, even though Hiei wasn't in the mood for eating. He was mentally preparing himself for the impending discussion, preparing for every honest answer he could give to his sister.

"So..." began Yukina.

"I will answer every question, Yukina," said Hiei at once.

"Eh? Um, okay..."

Silence.

"You're not going to freak out and run off, right ...?" said Yukina. Hiei shook his head.

"Okay, then... Oniisan, why do you think I would leave you?"

"Uh..."

* * *

Kurama rushed in the shop, and how he managed to do it while still looking as graceful as ever was beyond Shizuru and the other customers of the shop. Shrugging, she returned to haggling with an annoying customer. Said customer was complaining about everything in particular, and Shizuru was not one to believe in manners when dealing with an irate customer. Their argument filled the shop, with some of her regular customers siding her.

Kurama was about to go and break up the argument when someone tapped him on the back.

"Ah, Minamino-san!" chirped a voice. Kurama whirled around... and came face to face with his landlord.

"You working here now?" he said, inhaling deeply from his cigarette. Kurama nodded. He sneaked a glance back. Shizuru wasn't paying attention to him.

"Ah, I see. Is the pay good, now?"

Kurama shrugged, tilting his head to one side, all the while maintaining his smile.

"Right, then I can up the rent now."

Kurama's jaw dropped. His smile disappeared.

"You know, I actually charged you lower, because of your ... disability. Anyway, now that you've got a somewhat steady job, I'm afraid you'll have to pay the normal rate now. Well, normal by my standards, anyway," he said, then laughed at his own joke.

Kurama, of course, did not find it funny.

"So, an increase of another 1000 yen per month, okay? See you around. And don't delay in paying," said the man before waltzing off.

Kurama didn't even have the heart to protest. He didn't have the voice, anyway.

* * *

"I... I thought that, after meeting so many new friends, you would eventually want that type of attention from me... and, I'm not very good at ... at giving attention... so you might be irritated and get fed up and then leave..." said Hiei, and each word coming out of his mouth seemed to make his head droop lower and lower.

Yukina blinked. Then she laughed. Her laughter caused her brother to jerk his head up, bewildered.

"Oh, Oniisan. You can be so silly at times."

"... What...?"

"I've never even thought as far as that! And it's not that you're not very good at giving attention. You're the most attentive listener I know! That's enough attention from you that I need."

The food arrived, but Yukina continued on.

"You don't have to chatter away like they do. You don't have to be like them."

"...Really?"

"Hai!" said Yukina, beaming.

"Oh... right..."

"So, don't worry!"

Hiei felt, if possible, lighter than he previously felt he weighed.

"Will you be going back to the shop later?" asked Hiei, chewing on his food.

"Hmm, yes I think I should, but I'll leave early so I can cook dinner for us."

"Okay then. I'll..." Hiei trailed off, making the mistake of looking into his sister's eyes. "...go back to work...?"

"You'll head home and rest, Oniisan," said Yukina sternly. "You look very tired, and if you want to continue working properly tomorrow, you'd better rest."

"But I don't feel like staying at home alone," blurted Hiei. Yukina blinked. _He's... whining. My big brother is whining... _she thought incredulously, then began to giggle.

"Well, you can always follow me to the shop..."

Hiei paused. _I do need to thank Kurama... and I don't want to stay at home alone, I'll get bored out of my wits and no doubt do something stupid and probably irreversible, but no one will know because everyone knows I don't do stupid things, so..._

_What the hell._

"Okay then... Only for a little while," said Hiei, though his mind was screaming _WORK WORK WORK WORK DAMMIT WORK_! A routine was a routine, and when one did not stick to it, things tended to turn messy and upside down.

Then he consoled himself with the thought that he **was **the megaboss in the company, so he too was entitled to a day off sometimes. He'd do well to enjoy it.

"I won't help out though," added Hiei stubbornly as they continued to finish their food. Yukina smiled, knowing that he'd help out anyway, because he was such a nice person at heart.

* * *

"Kurama, are you okay?"

Kurama started when he heard the sound of Shizuru's voice. He turned to the direction of the voice, at the counter where she was sitting and staring at him oddly.

"Helllooo? Are you all there, Kurama?" said Shizuru, chuckling. The man had been staring at the empty paper, his eyes unfocused with a palette and a brush on either hand, and it freaked her out a little. Kurama gave a weak smile, then nodded at her before returning to stare blankly at the expanse of white before him.

_Paint. I have to paint. I have to earn more money. Paint._

He closed his eyes, concentrated on what he should paint, concentrated on something special and eye-catching.

Nothing came.

With a small cry of anguish, he dropped his brush and palette to the floor.

Shizuru got up immediately and hurried over to Kurama, who was attempting to calm himself down.

"Kurama, snap out of it!"

"..." came the eloquent reply. Shizuru sweatdropped. He shook his head, then pushed her away lightly while shaking his hand, indicating he was all right. He took a deep breath and decided to just paint something abstract.

Hesitant, Shizuru decided to leave him alone as he was beginning to paint, but she could somehow feel that Kurama's thoughts were a little bit messed up inside. Though what could be bothering him was the mystery. Was it even possible to get it out from the mute artist?

Shizuru wondered who could possibly help him if he had a breakdown like Hiei that morning. His lack of voice, too, would make things worse.

Bottling emotions up inside.

_Would it explode one day? _she thought, her face slightly worried as she saw the disturbed, unfocused look in Kurama's eyes.

"Shizuru-san, I'm here," came a cheerful voice, interrupting her from her thoughts.

"Ah, Yukina. And, oh, my my ... Hiei-saaan?" said Shizuru, saying the millionaire's name with a teasing tone. Hiei 'hn'ed and looked away, scowling.

"Since it's already halfway into the day, Oniisan decided he'd accompany me today," explained Yukina.

Hiei strode off to the corner where Kurama had set up his things, surveying the artist who seemed lost in thought and gave him a dazed nod and smile before returning to painting. Hiei watched for awhile as the artist made uncertain, random, strokes on the paper... it was as if he did not know what he was doing and wasn't sure either.

"Thank you..." Hiei finally managed to say, "...for... just now."

Kurama blinked, then turned to him with a smile that made Hiei's hand tingle, for yet another unknown reason.

Hiei didn't know why, but he felt the need to say something, anything…

"I've... begun to see things differently now."

Kurama gave a brief nod, and went back to concentrating on the painting. _It doesn't look right…_ he thought, sighing

"What are you painting?" said Hiei, leaning closer to the piece. The question wasn't really directed at Kurama, but more of just a thought said out loud. The reaction that came though, after a few moments of unsettling silence and Kurama's frozen hand on the paper startled Hiei.

Kurama stared at Hiei unblinkingly. Hiei didn't flinch, but he did wonder what the crazy artist had in mind now.

The artist tore the paper away from the stretcher, and started anew. Hiei looked very much taken aback. He wondered what Kurama was painting now, but chose instead to watch the scenery unfold.

The backdrop of a snowy mountain could be seen. Hiei marveled at how easily Kurama's hands flew over the paper, dipping into his palette in seemingly abstract movements. _Orange, red… ah, a sunset, perhaps? _thought Hiei as he peered closer.

But the beautiful blend of orange and red Kurama had painted was only a little portion at the top. He took a different brush this time, dipping it into the white paint and then blue, then creating a mixture of light, sky blue, and began to paint what looked like a mountain.

Little by little as the painting began to look whole, Hiei realized the familiarity of the painting. It was the one Yukina bought from Kurama, the one hanging on the wall facing the dining table. But there was a slight difference to it... or perhaps it was a very big one.

It was a balcony the man seemed to be sitting on; not a room... and the side of his face obscured as always, with a clear view of the outside scenery, no longer caged in by windows or bars.

* * *

Review please! Tell me anything and everything you like or dislike about this story! Thank you!

Final word count – 1930 words


	11. Chapter 11

People, I asked for information of RENTAL COSTS, NOT the CONVERSION!! LOL!!

Yes, I know 100 yen is about 4 or 5 $ in US, but Kurama and gang aren't exactly living in US right? The story is set in Japan! And there, their yen is like in HUGE amounts, like, one bowl of noodles is probably (estimated, not too sure, but definitely not 5 or 10 yen) 2000 over yen! Get it?

So, don't convert!! Hahahahaha So when I upped Kurama's rent by about 1000 yen, it's actually quite a lot, I think. I couldn't bear to raise it any higher... my heart breaks for poor poor Kurama-kun... Lol.

Cookies go out to alll who have reviewed! 110! Woohooo!

**

* * *

Chapter 11 : Silent Portrait**

"Okay, that's it, time to close ... " said Shizuru, getting up from her ever-occupied seat at the counter. After watching the twins the whole afternoon, Shizuru decided that she had to get tips from Yukina about dealing with brothers. Kazuma was always bickering with her whenever she asked him to do something; whereas all Yukina had to do was open her mouth and ask sweetly and before she could even finish her sentence Hiei would have agreed to help automatically. Even though he was very much displeased by whatever it is he had to do.

_The millionaire is really too soft for his own good_, thought Shizuru in amusement as she watched Hiei sulk and help his sister out around the shop.

"Aneki!" yelled a loud voice, causing both Hiei and Kurama to wince.

"Ah, Kazuma, we're closing up now..."

"Yukina-chan!" exclaimed Kuwabara gaily, his eyes misting over into heart shapes. Hiei growled. Kurama managed a weak smile while looking tentatively at the overprotective brother.

"Hello Kazuma-san," greeted Yukina warmly.

"Let's go, Yukina," said Hiei tersely. Yukina heard the tone in her brother's voice and nodded, then followed her brother out the door, but not before saying goodbye to everyone else. Kurama left soon after, deciding to skip dinner to minimize his spendings.

* * *

As he walked back to his place, he thought back to Hiei's unexpected appearance at the florist's. And the painting he painted in which Hiei had looked slightly ... disturbed. It seemed that Hiei was no fool; he knew exactly what Kurama had depicted in the painting. Although if he could explain himself, and one day he'd a find a way to do it, he'd tell the millionaire that he didn't do it on purpose.

_Not that he'd care_, thought Kurama absently as he unlocked the door. The man was such an antisocial, much like him, but at least he was polite enough not to antagonize anybody.

Kurama stared around at his miserable place. _Back to the matter at hand... should I move out? _he asked himself, sighing. _I don't have time to start finding a place... I'd better just work extra hard, as always... _Yawning cutely, he stretched out on the bed and slept, but it was as if his worries about money and the rent plagued his dreams as well.

The month of January was ending soon, the rent would have to be paid up sooner...

* * *

"I'm going to call Yusuke and have him update me on work," Hiei informed his sister after they entered the house.

"Yes, yes, don't worry, I'll be cooking," said Yukina, picking Oki up and handing her to Hiei. He took the cat in one hand without a word and strode off to his bedroom ... but stopped short when he passed the dining room.

"What's wrong?" asked Yukina, startled by the sudden halt in Hiei's steps.

Her brother was staring intently at the painting hanging innocently on the wall.

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong," said Hiei, then stalked off to his bedroom with Oki in his hands. Inside the room, he sat Oki down on his lap and began making calls.

"Urameshi," barked Hiei when Yusuke answered.

"Woah, boss?!"

"Yes, it's me."

"Yukina called and said you were sick..."

"You think I don't know that? Now, how was work today? Any important calls or anything?"

Yukina listened intently outside the door and smiled, convinced her brother was alright once more. She headed back to the kitchen to cook.

* * *

"Kazuma," said Shizuru, watching in exasperation and amusement as her idiot brother's chopsticks missed the bowl and his mouth for the umpteenth time. Kuwabara had hardly eaten a bite of anything and he still hadn't noticed.

"What?"

"Eat," said Shizuru, glaring. "Or I'll feed you myself."

"I AM eating!" huffed Kuwabara, glaring back at his sister, then looked down at his very full bowl.

"No, you're not. You're thinking about Yukina, aren't you?"

"..." came the ever eloquent reply, complete with a mixture of redness in his cheeks.

"How did you know?" said Kuwabara meekly, and Shizuru rolled her eyes.

"Watch out for yourself, bro. Yukina's brother is very overprotective of her," warned Shizuru.

"Yeah, I know. But I won't do anything to hurt her, so I'm thinking he might understand..." said Kuwabara, then launched into a detailed explanation on various different ways to approach Yukina and get to know her better without antagonizing Hiei.

Shizuru listened intently, but her mind was conjuring up the various different ways Hiei would end that seemingly perfect dream of her idiot brother's, all of which resulted in a not-very-happy ending. She grimaced, tuning out her brother's voice.

* * *

"Oniisan?" began Yukina tentatively, watching her brother eat. He looked up with a "Hn?" and continued to eat, wondering why Yukina looked so worried. Yukina tried to find the right words to say without hurting her brother again like that morning, but couldn't. She smiled, then shook her head and said nothing.

She would voice her question another day, when Hiei was more... stable. (1) So she prepared herself for another question, storing the initial one at the back of her mind.

"Oniisan, what... what did you dream, last night...?"

Hiei froze. Yukina quickly backtracked.

"It's okay if you don't want to tell me!" said Yukina hurriedly, praying he wouldn't storm off again. Hiei managed a weak smile, realizing his sister's curiousity and disappointment and worry all in one tone.

"I dreamt you left. Like.. disappeared. I went into your room, and it was bare. It was as if you never... existed," said Hiei.

"Oh... that's why you were screaming my name?"

Hiei cringed. "Was I really screaming...?"

"You were thrashing about in the bed, calling me."

"Oh... I ran out of the house to check if you were at the florist's, but no one was there. Nobody was walking about in the streets... my office was empty... like I was the only living thing there."

"Oh, Oniisan..." said Yukina, biting her lip.

"Don't worry," said Hiei, trying his best to reassure her. "I'm fine now."

* * *

Kurama awoke at seven in the morning the next day, feeling extremely uncomfortable. _Cold_, thought Kurama, shivering. He tossed and turned on his bed and tried to get back to sleep, ignoring the hunger pangs his body was experiencing, willing himself to wait just a little while more before he took breakfast. _I'll skip lunch today, it's healthier that way. Dinner I cannot afford to skimp on, if only I had done that earlier..._

After trying and failing to get back to sleep, which was about an hour later, he went out to eat breakfast. It was annoying to find himself reciting his spendings and how much money he had everytime he thought of the rent. Growling, he ate without tasting the food, just to fill up his empty stomach and prepared for another day at work. All the way there he soon turned to hating his landlord and indulged himself in vivid imaginations of torture.

All the girls ogling at him along the way didn't improve his mood at all. Not to mention the sudden sneezing and chills he was experiencing.

"Wow, Kurama. What crawled up your ass?" said Shizuru, smirking. Kurama glared, then with a toss of his hair he turned his back to her and began setting up his things. Shizuru laughed at him. Kurama shrugged off her laughter, knowing that her personality was just that; crude and wild. She spoke what she wanted and never held back and never tried to hide.

_In fact, most of them do exactly that_, thought Kurama in frustration. _Hiei speaks his mind in as little words as possible, Yusuke as well, and I'm willing to bet Kuwabara too does the same. Is it because they can? Or is it because they don't care?_

_What about me? I can't voice out my opinions. I can only sit back and do nothing. _

_I'm such a pushover, _thought Kurama, sighing. His stress levels rose higher with each passing minute, and even the sight of the sweet Yukina and her sweet disposition did nothing to help. And no one knew the mask he put over his face, because there was nothing to indicate that he was feeling more bitter than usual, no angry growl or tone of voice or heated shouts ... nothing.

And so no one knew of his troubles.

Which was a bad thing, really, as he soon found out later that day.

* * *

Hiei burst into the office as usual, walking fast and nodding curtly to those who greeted him. The day looked to be fine, thought everyone, as the boss seemed... less angrier than usual, judging by the manner of his walk. Yusuke greeted him with a saucy smirk and a pick-up line, ultimately earning him an elbowful of Keiko.

"Thanks, Yukimura, that was a very good thing to do to him," said Hiei, settling down and began to clear his desk.

"Where's the cat?" said Yusuke, dumping another pile of papers on the desk Hiei had cleared five seconds ago, "I miss her."

"Too bad," snarled Hiei, his temper rising at the sight of so much unfinished work.

Phone calls came, meetings were arranged, Yusuke was yelled at ... _Ah, normalcy,_ said a part of Hiei's brain comfortably. _How nice._

The day was looking fine. Until he received a call from Yukina that afternoon.

* * *

"Want to go for lunch, Kurama?" said Shizuru. Kurama looked up from his unfinished painting with a strained look. He shook his head and waved at them to go on ahead.

"Are you sure? What will you eat?"

Kurama shrugged and returned to his painting.

"We'll buy something back for you," said Yukina. Kurama looked up, alarmed. He shook his head and smiled, indicating he would be fine. He pointed to himself, then brought one of his hands to his mouth, curling his fingers so the tips touched his lips, then made a wave with his other hand.

The two girls stared at him.

"I think he said, 'I'll eat later'? Is that right, Kurama?" said Shizuru.

Kurama nodded. Yukina giggled. "Well, we're getting better at sign language! Let's go, Yukina. Not inviting your brother today?"

"No, he didn't go to work yesterday, so he must be very busy today. I'd better not disturb him," said Yukina as they walked out.

Kurama sighed. He had tagged along on too many free meals, his pride as a man would not accept it. Not even when his stomach was grumbling, and angry, loud grumbling and the headache in his head was becoming worse.

I_'m not overworking myself, am I? Man the store, paint while you're at it... it's easy enough. Not overly taxing. So why am I so tired? _

Shizuru and Yukina came back later on. Kurama watched as Shizuru taught Yukina how to make flower arrangements, and they were so busy at it they forgot to ask Kurama if he had had lunch. No matter, however, as the man intended on skipping lunch anyway. Still, he was feeling more and more uncomfortable by the minute. He looked at the clock. Four in the afternoon.

_It's not as if I haven't skipped a meal before_, thought Kurama desperately, trying to ignore his hungry stomach. _Have I been eating too much that my body demands more of food?_

His eyes began to close... failing in the struggle to stay awake. The brush in his hand dropped to the floor, smearing the beautiful painting he had been working on, and he vaguely heard Yukina and Shizuru's voices... and then his brain registered no more after that.

* * *

(1) Anybody can guess what question this is? Lol.

Final word count – 1934

Ack, so many line breaks again... anyway, review! Pleaase!


	12. Chapter 12

Okay, screw the rental costs and stuff, lol. It's just a story .. right? RIght?

Lol, I guess it's just me. I hate writing something that I know won't make sense.

Sooooooo ... cliffhanger? Nah, it's not ... Here's the update! XD

* * *

**Chapter 12 : Silent Portrait**

Yusuke was watching his boss when the phone rang. It was always nice to listen in on Hiei's calls and count the number of words he said. So far the shortest had been two... which was "Shut up," and then the phone was slammed down.

Hiei's many expressions of fury and irritation plus annoyance and a little bit of exasperation were also very much fun to watch.

However, the call that came this time wasn't very fun at all.

"Yukina? What is it?" said Hiei, panic and worry evident in his voice. He paused, and Yusuke, Keiko and Botan inched closer to listen in as well.

"Kurama?" repeated Hiei into the phone. The other three stared at each other before turning their attention back to Hiei.

"I'll be right there," said Hiei shortly. Yusuke immediately asked what was wrong.

"Kurama fainted. Yukina and Shizuru are in the hospital with him now. I'm heading there," said Hiei, putting on his coat.

"I'll drive," said Yusuke, putting on his coat as well. They rushed out the door, Yusuke jogging to keep up with Hiei's fast strides.

"He only fainted. Why'd they have to send him to a hospital?" Yusuke wondered out aloud.

"Maybe they couldn't get him to wake up," replied Hiei. He was thankful for Yusuke and his car; even with his riches Hiei didn't own a car. He didn't need to. His office was so near to his apartment.

Hiei had hesitated before he stepped into his assistant's car, but soon found that he had nothing to worry about. Yusuke was careful and attentive throughout the whole silent ride. Perhaps that side of him only appeared in situations such as these, but it was a relief to know that his assistant wouldn't have to be scraped off the road anytime soon in a car wreck.

"It could be worse, you know," said Yusuke, breaking the awkward silence.

"What?"

"I know you're scared because I'm driving," came the reply. Hiei turned to glare at Yusuke, who smirked back in triumph. His boss was too easy to read at times.

"So what could be worse than your driving?"

"Botan's driving. She's nuts. She goes fast, and she turns sharply at corners. Heck, if the car could fly, she'd be doing loops and other crazy stuff like that," said Yusuke, shuddering. Hiei smirked this time, looking out the window.

They arrived at the hospital, and managed to get directions to Kurama's room. Neither of them missed the slight blush that appeared on the nurse's cheeks when Kurama's name popped out.

"It's a wonder he doesn't have a girlfriend," said Yusuke, snickering.

"Maybe you'd better keep Keiko away from him then," retorted Hiei dryly.

"Nahh... I'm sexier than Kurama. Keiko knows it," said Yusuke, giving his butt a wiggle in front of his boss, making obscene sounds.

"Yusuke, grow up."

Inside the room, Shizuru and Yukina were sitting by the bed, where Kurama was lying on. Hiei stopped when he saw Kurama on the bed, his unnatural red hair spread messily on the white pillow and sheets. The man was breathing slowly and softly, still unconscious.

_A splash of red against white ..._

Hiei shook his head clear and stepped forward.

"Oniisan! Yusuke-san!" cried Yukina, smiling at them.

"Just Yusuke, not Yusuke-san," said Yusuke, cringing. It was either 'Urameshi' or 'Yusuke' or 'Baka' or 'Hentai', but never 'Yusuke-san'.

"So, what happened?" he asked, sitting down on the only other chair left.

"Kurama fainted. He has a fever, but the doctor said it's just a cold," supplied Shizuru, taking out a pack of cigarettes. Hiei's eyes narrowed.

"Onna, it's a hospital. Don't light that in here," said Hiei hotly.

Shizuru blinked. Then she gave a somewhat lopsided grin at everyone in the room and apologized.

"You should kick the habit, Shizuru-san, it's not good for your health," said Yukina.

"Shizuru, not Shizuru-san," corrected Shizuru. Yukina blushed at being corrected twice in the day.

"You know, now that I think about it," said Shizuru thoughtfully after a while. "He didn't take lunch with us today."

"He didn't eat after we came back as well!"

"That must be why he fainted."

"Then what explains the fever?" asked Yusuke.

"Maybe he didn't wear enough clothes or something..."

"No," said Hiei suddenly. Everyone turned to look at him, surprised he would actually say something. "Yesterday ... he went to find me. He wasn't wearing a jacket... he must have caught a cold then."

"So it's your fault?" said Yusuke, jeering. Hiei scowled.

"Oniisan, you aren't sick aren't you?"

"I was only wearing one layer of clothes. But I didn't catch a cold."

Yusuke was about to retort back when a coughing sound directed his attention. Kurama was waking up. They moved nearer to the bed to see him.

* * *

The sheets rustled as he tried to push himself up. He blinked once ... twice... then the images slowly focused properly.

_Hospital_?

Kurama looked sheepishly at his three friends faces hovering above him.

"Kurama-san, how do you feel?" asked Yukina.

Kurama managed a wan smile, and curled his thumb and index finger to create an "o", lifting his other three fingers up. The universal sign for "OK".

Everyone (except Hiei, as usual) managed a light laugh once they understood, and Kurama's smile grew stronger.

"You fainted, Kurama-san. You should have eaten," admonished Yukina. Kurama shook his head.

"Don't pretend you're not hungry. If your system shut down, hell your body must've been wanting food," said Yusuke. Kurama winced a little bit at those words. It was true, of course. But what would they know about it? They don't have to save money.

"The doctor says it might be a cold you're having there. Ran after bad Jaganshi-sama in the cold without a jacket, that's why," said Shizuru, taunting the millionaire. Hiei leant against the wall with his eyes closed and arms crossed, not reacting to the taunt.

"You're no fun at all, Hiei."

"You actually expect him to be?" said Yusuke, guffawing. Hiei smirked. There was truth in that after all. Everyone expected him to be surly, moody, and angry ... and that's the reason they stayed away. Everyone except his sister. And ... and these people.

_Why? _

Hiei tried to picture himself as bubbly, excited, energetic, happy ... smiling ... and he shuddered.

"Oniisan! You're feeling cold, aren't you?" said Yukina, mistaking Hiei's shudder for a shiver, concerned. Hiei opened his eyes and stared at his sister. Managing a low chuckle, he shook his head.

"It's still early ... " whined Yusuke, staring at the clock. "I don't wanna go back to the office... Naa, Hiei, I don't wanna go back to the office..."

Hiei rolled his eyes, the red orbs coming to rest upon a redhead who was lounging contently in the bed, listening to the conversation around him.

"I need to go back to close the shop though ... you guys wait here, I'll call Kazuma to come and fetch me. Hey, let's all have dinner together!"

Then everyone turned to look at Kurama, who stared back, still a bit blur.

"Let's have dinner _here _... is that allowed?"

"Well, we are in a private room, thanks to Yukina," said Shizuru, chuckling as she glanced at Yukina. "We won't be disturbing any other patients..."

"It sounds fun!" said Yukina brightly.

"Hn. I won't be surprised if we get shooed out," said Hiei nonchalantly.

"Spoilsport," said Yusuke, blowing a raspberry at his boss.

"Okay, I'm gonna go now. I'll go pick up some food. Be back later," said Shizuru, blowing a mock kiss to everyone in the room before leaving. Yusuke mimed catching the kiss with dazed eyes, assuming a lovestruck look, causing Yukina to burst out in giggles.

"I'll go fetch Keiko, and maybe Botan. Let's get this party started!" hooted Yusuke as he walked out the door.

Which left Yukina and Hiei in the room with Kurama, all staring at each other.

"What do we do to pass the time?" said Yukina, uncomfortable with the silence. Kurama shrugged, snuggling deeper under the blankets. He felt cold, but he knew he had a slight fever. Hiei was feeling quite at home with the silence as usual. Even though loud noise and mindless chatter irritated him, he was accustomed to it, and didn't voice his displeasure. Not everyone was like him. Not everyone loved silence, like him .. and he respected that.

_Kurama ... if he were alone, would probably be living in silence ... would he like that as well?_

Hiei realized that the redhead barely revealed anything about himself.

_Was it because he couldn't, or wouldn't?_

"I know!" cried Yukina, breaking the silence. The two men watched her in interest.

"Kurama-san, you can start teaching me sign language now ... and Oniisan too, since he's here."

Kurama thought about it for a moment, then broke into one of his rare, true smiles. Pulling himself to sit in a more comfortable position, he began by teaching Yukina the alphabets, one by one. (1)

The minutes passed, and although it looked like Hiei wasn't really paying attention, he actually was. He might never publicly admit that he was smart, but the man did absorb things very quickly. A fast learner, the media often said, and Hiei often wondered how they knew or assumed.

By the time the rest of the gang arrived, Yukina had committed at least three quarters of the alphabet to memory. Keiko, Shizuru, Yusuke, and Kuwabara trooped in, setting down plastic bags on the table. A delicious smell permeated the air ... making Kurama's neglected stomach grumble. He looked sheepishly at the girls who giggled and began distributing the food.

"We'd better not make too much noise," said Keiko, biting her lip, looking worried. "The nurse might shoo us away."

"Oh, don't sweat it," said Yusuke, eagerly digging into the noodles Shizuru had bought. "Hiei's here. They wouldn't dare."

"Just so you know, Urameshi, I'm not God," stated Hiei blandly.

"I never said you were," said Yusuke innocently.

"I learnt sign language today," announced Yukina happily. Everyone smiled at this. Kuwabara looked positively awestruck with every word she said, and it didn't go unnoticed by a certain overprotective brother.

"Good, so next time when Kurama wants to say something we have a translator handy."

"I want to learn too," said Keiko eagerly.

"I'll teach you what I know so far, Keiko-san," offered Yukina, and the two began talking and giggling.

Kurama ate slowly, savouring the dish with relish. Even though it was plain because Shizuru insisted on something that wouldn't make his cold or fever worse, the warm soup that he drank felt very refreshing and nice. He listened intently to the conversations around him, along with the only other quiet one in the room ... Hiei.

Kurama noticed Hiei was not concentrating on his food. As he was the closest one to the bed ... Kurama decided to practice using his sign language on people who knew how to read a little bit of it. Smiling mischievously, he poked Hiei on the arm.

Surprisingly, although Hiei turned to look at him, he did not react as vehemently as he did the last time.

"Nani?" said Hiei boredly, turning away from him. Kurama felt a twinge of annoyance; how do you communicate with sign language if the person wasn't looking at you?

So, resigned, he poked the man again. Hiei turned and glared.

Spelling out the letters slowly, Kurama made sure Hiei caught every movement his hands made. He suppressed the urge to laugh silently as Hiei's eyes squinted, trying to read the letters as a whole word.

"**I-m ... b-o-r-e-d..." **said Hiei slowly. Kurama nodded.

"I'm bored?" repeated the man incredulously. Kurama clapped his hands in glee; someone could finally communicate properly with him. It was a small step, but a very new one so far. Hiei 'hn'ed and turned away.

"Too bad," came the muttered reply, which only made Kurama grin more. Hiei continued eating slowly, unconsciously tuning everything out, including the slight numb feeling in his arm where Kurama had poked him.

* * *

(1) - English alphabet, not Japanese ... I don't know Japanese sign language XD

I know the sign for A to Z, "Why" and "To" and "From" and "Because". I even know the sign for "gay" and "lesbian". LOL. That's about it. Lol.

Thanks for reading! Please review!

Final word count – 1991


	13. Chapter 13

Muahahhhaaa!

* * *

**Chapter 13 : Silent Portrait**

The night passed and soon everyone left, chased out by motherly nurses, leaving Kurama alone with his full and contented stomach. A smile crept onto his face as he recalled the night's events; how Kuwabara met Yusuke and Keiko for the first time; how Hiei sat glaring at everyone and everything; the girls' chattering and chirping and the sound of laughter... and he realized that he didn't really live in silence after all, as much as he used to wallow in it last time.

Kuwabara and Yusuke ... The noise pollution that followed after the introductions and some snide remarks caused them to be constantly interrupted by angry nurses. Kurama was grateful that had Yukina requested for a single, private room, even though his sickness was not particularly chronic or fatal. Other patients sharing a room with them might have died on the spot.

The next day he was up and about, walking to Shizuru's shop. But his money worries were far from over. The rent was due in three days time. Being in the hospital had taken away one day of work, one day to earn money ... Kurama sighed.

He also needed to pay Yukina for the medical costs ... especially the single room, and he had no idea how he was ever going to do that. Perhaps he could pay by installments ... he would have to "talk" to Yukina or Hiei about that.

* * *

The day was normal, it seemed, as Hiei looked out the window as he dressed for work. The day _would _be normal, he tried to reassure himself. Still, the feeling that something was about to happen didn't go away. He had heard before, twins could usually sense each other's emotions, and that they had that connection between them ... a sense of awareness...

"Yukina," said Hiei, at the breakfast table.

"Hmmm?" answered Yukina sweetly.

"I'm walking you to the florist's today," said Hiei slowly. He didn't _ask _if he _could _walk her to the florist's, it was more of an order that he do so.

"Eh? Why?"

"I... just want you to be safe," came the very uncertain reply.

"Oniisan, you really worry too much. I'll be fine."

Hiei looked lost for a moment, unable to reply.

"But I really, really want you to be safe," he insisted, almost pouting.

"And I _will _be," said Yukina, her tone holding no more room for argument. Hiei sighed.

_Sometimes she's just as stubborn as I am. _

* * *

"Here, Kurama," said Shizuru bossily, gesturing to his usual corner. "Order came in yesterday. Flowers for Podez Gallery, a furniture shop opening soon somewhere we don't have to care about. Go on, get to work."

Kurama nodded and set down his painting tools and began to work on the flower arrangement. He looked around the shop. Yukina wasn't here yet. _Maybe Hiei would walk her here. Should I talk to them about it now? _

No doubt Yukina would even go so far as to offer him accommodation at their house. Kurama would definitely turn that down. He sweatdropped when he pictured Hiei shielding Yukina from him at every corner of the house. Besides, intruding on their privacy was something he was definitely uncomfortable with.

No, all he needed was money to keep paying the rent.

* * *

"Bye Oniisan," said Yukina as they walked out the entrance of the apartment.

"Bye," replied Hiei half-heartedly, turning to walk the other way. He had actually wondered if he should walk his sister from a distance ... make sure she got to the shop safely, but he knew he would be caught. And his sister wouldn't like that at all.

The feeling was like an itch that refused to stop itching.

Perhaps the day wouldn't be so normal after all.

He briefly wondered what Kurama was doing. (1)

"Yo, boss," greeted Yusuke absently without looking up from his desk. Hiei grunted.

They all sat in silence, something quite unusual as Yusuke himself usually bounced about the office, because he couldn't sit still for long periods of time. But Yusuke, as blunt and dumb as he may be, did not need to be smart to notice that something wrong. At first he didn't connect that feeling to his boss ... he was more concerned for Keiko. Though he didn't know why, as she was right beside him doing her own work, safe in the office with him.

It was only later on when he glanced up from his work to look at his boss did he realize. Something was troubling the millionaire.

The atmosphere was tense. Hiei was waiting ... waiting for something bad to happen, because deep down inside the itch was starting to become more prominent, more ... disturbing.

* * *

"Yukina's not here yet," said Shizuru, looking at the clock. It read half past 9, usually she would be at the shop at around 9. _Should I call Hiei? _Shizuru thought as she looked out the window for any sign of the petite woman.

_What if it's nothing? Relax... it should be nothing, _she tried to tell herself.

_But what if it was something? _

Hiei would never forgive her, or himself, or anyone else if something happened to her. As she sat watching Kurama arrange the flowers, she couldn't help but wonder why this sister of Hiei's mattered so much to him. True, they were siblings, but unlike them Kazuma didn't feel the need to want to protect her all the time. Unlike Yukina, she didn't worry about her brother so much...

Both of them were so formal with each other, yet so close...

By 9.45 a.m, Shizuru gave up all pretense and dialled Hiei's office number.

"Good morning, Hiruiseki Corporations, how may I help you?" came a pleasant voice. Neither belonged to Keiko or Botan.

"I need to speak with Hiei," answered Shizuru brusquely. Kurama looked up from his flower arrangement.

"May I know who's on the line, please?"

"This is Shizuru."

"Please hold."

* * *

The phone on Hiei's desk rang. Hiei picked it up, twirling his pen idly.

"What is it?"

"Shizuru here. Is Yukina with you?"

Hiei stood up in a flash, dropping his pen. Alarmed, Yusuke stood up as well, going over to his boss's desk. Keiko and Botan watched warily from their seats.

"She's not with me. She's not at the shop?" asked Hiei, his tone calm. Yusuke gasped; Hiei must be talking about Yukina.

"No, she isn't," came the reply.

"Why didn't you call me earlier?" Hiei hissed into the phone. Yusuke took a step back.

"I didn't think anything was wrong. She usually comes in around 9 or slightly later than that," replied Shizuru defensively.

"Right," said Hiei, biting his lip in an attempt to placate his fury. He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by one of his staff.

"J-Jaganshi-san," said the stuttering woman, "There's a phone call for you... he claims to have your sister with him. H-he demanded that I put him through immediately..."

"Put him through to Urameshi. I'll handle it," said Hiei. _So this is what I'd been dreading since morning..._

"Oi, onna," said Hiei into the phone. "Hold on. Don't hang up yet."

He put the receiver down onto the desk, and then went over to Yusuke's phone. Seconds later it rang. Hiei picked it up and turned on the speakerphone button.

"Jaganshi-_sama_," came a cold, sarcastic voice on the other line.

"Who the _fuck _are you?" snarled Hiei into the phone.

"Obviously I'm not going to tell you. Your sister is with me. I am willing to let her go for a price ... "

"_Fucking _bastard," muttered Hiei, slamming his palm down onto the table.

"Ten million, Jaganshi-_sama_. Ten million yen ... no less. Do not go to the police, I will know about it if you do. I have contacts there... and when you do, Yukina-chan will be handled _properly _by my men..."

Hiei gripped the edges of the desk so tightly his knuckles were almost white. Yusuke was infuriated that someone would actually kidnap Hiei's innocent sister just for money.

"How do I know you're not lying?" said Hiei calmly, but his voice was shaky. He closed his eyes. _Please, let me talk to her for a while... _

"Oh? You want proof?"

There was a muffled sound and some muttered orders, and finally the next voice that came on almost made Hiei's knees buckle with relief.

"Oniisan!" said Yukina, her voice wavering and shaky.

"Yukina! Yukina, don't worry, I'll bring you back."

"Be careful ... Oniisan ... I'm sorry ... I didn't listen to you..."

"Touching though this may be, I'm afraid we have to part now," said the other man. "Take her away," he ordered.

"So, what say you, Jaganshi?"

"...Give me three days."

"I'll be kind. Take four. I'll contact you again for the meeting point."

"Don't you dare hurt her!"

"I won't promise anything."

"Teme - " snarled Hiei, but the man had already hung up. Swallowing a huge lump that had arisen in his throat, he turned off the speakerphone.

"Oh no," breathed Keiko and Botan. Both were horrified. They could only hope and pray that those men didn't mistreat Yukina. Hiei took a deep breath, then walked over to his desk and picked up the phone.

"Shizuru."

"What's going on? I heard you shouting. Is Yukina going to be okay?"

* * *

"What?!" exclaimed Shizuru, thoroughly startling the redhead. He stood up from his work when Shizuru gestured for him to come nearer.

"What about the police?" said Shizuru, biting her lip worriedly. She listened on some more, then said, "Okay, I'll be there. I'll contact Kazuma, he might know some outside contacts."

Shizuru hung up, then began to hurriedly close the shop. Kurama caught the sleeve of her arm and shot her a questioning look.

"We don't have time, Kurama. Yukina's been kidnapped."

* * *

(1) : Kekeke... they're starting to think about each other without realizing that they are. XD

I know no one would be sane enough to attempt a daylight kidnapping, but ... hey, it's fanfiction XD Besides, she'll be much more protected at night. Hehe.

I would now like to advertise my other fic shamelessly ... It's a Final Fantasy 8 and Yu Yu Hakusho crossover with a little bit of Final Fantasy 7 ... For those rare people who know both (FF7 not really that much, so I guess it's alright if you don't know it), please read and review! Pleaaase!

Final word count – 1656 (short, I know ...)


	14. Chapter 14

Thank you for all your lovely reviews! Yaaay! Hehe...

To RainyDayz, you said that you are a "Signer"... Does that mean you know sign language? Oh wow that's greaaat! Maybe you can help me more on this, hehe.

A shout out to all those who know sign language as well! Drop some suggestions or comments please! Thanks!

* * *

**Chapter 14 : Silent Portrait**

_This is a cruel joke_, thought Kurama as he hurriedly helped Shizuru close the store. _Whoever heard of such a thing ... especially in the morning?_ _How is Hiei feeling right now? He does love his sister so dearly... _

He glanced over at Shizuru, trying to read her expression. Shizuru kept biting her lower lip, her face showing worry and concern.

"We have to go to Hiei's office now," said Shizuru, closing the door of the shop and locking it. She paused when she saw that Kurama's things were packed, but sitting neatly at his corner. She turned to question him.

"You're not going to take your stuff along?"

Kurama shook his head. There were other important things to do now ... lugging along his painting things would only be a burden.

"Alright then, let's go."

They headed up the street toward the tall, almost menacing-looking building. Kurama had never step foot inside such a high-ranking place; nor did he ever imagine he would. It hadn't really occurred to him that his _friend _was actually _the _Jaganshi Hiei.An important businessman who owns one of the biggest companies in Japan ... how did such a man come into contact with a shabby artist like him?

They walked in through the automatic glass doors, and Kurama looked around him, taking in the shiny marble floor and windows and business executives in suits buzz around like bees in a hive. The atmosphere was quiet... but it was a weird kind of "quiet", as though talking too loudly might disrupt the silence and cause everyone to look at you weirdly. Everything about the place screamed "Be professional, dammit!"

He didn't know why he felt so nervous, perhaps it was the feeling that he was not supposed to be there. Not that he was supposed to be ...

Kurama mentally slapped himself for thinking too much.

"Yes, may I help you?" inquired the receptionist at the front desk, shooting an appreciative look at Kurama. He shrank a little behind Shizuru, who took charge.

"We're here to see Hiei."

The girl raised an eyebrow at this blunt greeting, and also wondered how this lady was connected to her boss. Seldom did anyone address him by his given name ...

"Do you have an appointment?"

"Just call your boss and hurry it up. He'll definitely let us through."

The girl looked highly suspicious, and also slightly afraid, probably worried that she would be scolded if she disturbed the ever-busy Jaganshi-san just to shoo two strangers away. Even though if one of the strangers had pretty long hair and bright emerald eyes.

"Do it," said Shizuru sternly, glaring at the female opposite her.

"Please give me your names," said the girl pointedly.

"Shizuru. And Kurama."

"Alright, please wait a moment," she said, maintaining her professional, cool composure. She dialed the extension straight to Hiei's office, and the line was connected after a few moments.

"What is it?" said a male voice, but the girl recognized it as Jaganshi's assistant, Urameshi.

"Urameshi-san, there're two people here to see Jaganshi-san ... A Shizuru-san and Kurama-san."

"Yeah okay, let them through."

"Are you sure? Maybe you should ask Jaganshi --- "

"I'm damn sure, woman! Now hurry up and give them directions!"

"O-okay!" said the girl and hurriedly hung up. Turning to Shizuru and Kurama with a smile, she proceeded to give them directions.

"Take the lift straight up to the fifteenth floor. You'll see it once you come out of the lift. Good day."

"Thank you," said Shizuru curtly and walked to the lift, Kurama hurrying along beside her. He didn't like the way the girl had batted her eyelashes at him. In the lift, Shizuru smirked at him, even though it seemed completely out of place with the events that were happening.

"Girls just love you, don't they, Kurama?" she said, sniggering.

Kurama sighed and tossed his hair back in annoyance.

"You could have saved me the trouble of glaring at her, and just flirt with her ... she'll probably let us in sooner."

Kurama had no desire to point out that he was unable to do anything but gesture. After all, this was not the time.

They soon arrived at the fifteenth floor, and rang the bell outside the glass doors. Kurama peered inside, wondering if these people ever had time to rest with the amount of work they had to do. He also wondered how much they were getting paid.

There was a 'beep' sound, and Shizuru pushed the glass door. They walked through, and straight ahead they could see another room, and could barely glimpse the boss of the company through the glass window. Keiko opened the door and gestured for them to come in. When they did, she closed the door and locked it.

"Yukina has been kidnapped," began Hiei, who was sitting at his desk clearing up his stuff. Apparently he wasn't so keen in staying in the office anymore. Yusuke was on his desk, something Hiei would never have let him off on normal days. Keiko and Botan were sitting at their desks, their work completely forgotten. Botan, however, was scribbling something on a piece of paper. Shizuru opted to lean against the wall, denying the chair proffered to her by Kurama.

"Jaganshi-san ... " said Botan, biting her lip. Hiei casted his ever-piercing gaze upon her. She handed the paper to him, placing a finger on her lips and shaking her head. Hiei read the note silently.

_Talk normally. There might be hidden bugs around ... remember that day our office was intruded? _(1)_ They could have planted some recording chips in our phones or something._

"The man called just now, asking for ten million yen in exchange," said Hiei calmly, his blood boiling. He also wondered how Botan knew about these kinds of things.

Kurama and Shizuru gasped; ten million yen was an outrageous sum. Hiei wrote on the note and passed it to Botan.

_We need to discuss this someplace else. _

"He warned me not to call the police, as he has contacts there. Therefore he would know if I did, and Yukina may be harmed. I'm not even considering that option."

"But..."

"I'm hungry," said Botan suddenly. Everyone turned to look at her with bemused expressions on their faces.

"This isn't the time," said Yusuke, making her blush.

"_I'm _hungry," said Hiei, glaring at everyone in the room.

This time no one said a thing. One would, however, be able to imagine the number of question marks popping out of everyone's heads. Jaganshi Hiei rarely announced to the world that he was hungry.

"I can't think on an empty stomach," said Hiei again, then rising from his seat. He walked out the door. Botan quickly followed, leaving the rest of them stunned. Once out of the room, she mouthed "Hurry up, follow us!"

They quickly followed suit, Keiko taking care to lock the door properly.

None of them spoke a word in the lift. Hiei was pondering... where was the best place to discuss this without risking anyone overhearing? _My apartment? No, I'm not letting anyone in there... They could be tracking us even now as we speak._

"Where do we go, Jaganshi-san?" inquired Keiko.

"I'm thinking."

_There's no choice. I have to bring them to a casual place where only I am allowed access... a private room, perhaps_, thought Hiei as he walked down the street. He pushed past the daily crowd in annoyance. The motley crew following along behind him only served to irritate him more.

Kurama, however, being the brave and somewhat ignorant soul, had fallen into step beside him, glancing around at the rather new surroundings.

For some reason, though, Hiei didn't mind his company.

* * *

They came to a very famous five-star hotel. At first Kurama thought they were merely passing by, but Hiei turned and walked in, all too familiar with the place. Soon they arrived at a very posh-looking restaurant.

"Good afternoon, Jaganshi-san," greeted the waiter. Hiei was a regular customer; he often brought clients or customers from overseas here to stay and dine at the hotel. Naturally, it was a high-profile restaurant, the kind of restaurants Kurama or any of the others rarely dined in.

Kurama felt even worse than before. Everyone else just felt underdressed. But Hiei did not care.

"Private room. Six people. Ensure that we are not disturbed."

"Yes, sir. This way, please."

The waiter led the way.

"What's he doing?" mouthed Keiko to Botan, who was the only one not bothered by the strange behaviours her boss was exhibiting.

"Don't worry. You'll know later."

"Sit," he ordered, and they sat; expressions wide-eyed and waiting.

"Order whatever you want."

Yusuke looked as though he might whoop and jump for joy. He merely twitched in his seat and began looking through the menu. The rest of them followed suit.

The food was so expensive Kurama didn't even feel like eating anymore. All he could picture was the amount of _yen _going into his mouth and down his throat.

Finally they placed their orders, and the door slid shut.

"Are we safe to talk here, Botan?" asked Hiei quietly. She nodded, slightly taken aback that he had addressed her by her given name.

"Botan believes that our office has been bugged," said Hiei, sipping his tea.

"Bugged?" repeated Shizuru sceptically.

"Isn't that in like, the movies...?"

"It explains why our office was raided but nothing was taken."

"So now we can discuss our plans here."

Botan spoke first.

"My boyfriend ... Koenma (2), he's a police ... he's the head officer ... perhaps he could help...?"

Hiei raised his eyebrow.

"And how would we know that _he _is not the contact these bastards speak of?"

"He would never do such a thing," said Botan boldly, staring back into Hiei's eyes.

"Deploying his officers would also cause the news to be spread," said Hiei after some thought.

"I know, but I'm saying, maybe he can help like, track down the caller's location and stuff like that ... or record conversations to be used against them in future ... basically all those police stuff. He doesn't need his officers for that, he can do it by himself," explained Botan eagerly.

The room fell silent as everyone considered that. Kurama thought it didn't help much, even though they needed all the help they can get. Tracking down the base of those men was one thing, but surely Hiei wasn't going to storm in and rescue Yukina all by herself.

"The ransom must be given in exchange for Yukina," said Hiei. He didn't care how much money it took to get her back, but he still didn't like being toyed with. No, he wouldn't be controlled by these men so easily...

"You willing to pay that amount, Hiei?" asked Yusuke.

"I don't have ten million," said Hiei fervently. _A lie, but they don't need to know that._

"Really?"

Hiei shot him a killer glare.

"No, I don't," he repeated.

"Maybe Koenma can provide us with some fake money. They do that sometimes in ransom cases."

"He'll have to be discreet, though," said Hiei to Botan. She nodded.

* * *

I have to stop here. Anti-climactic, right? Lol. There's still stuff to be discussed among these people...

(1) - Happened in Chapter 1. Lol.

(2) - Enma is basically God. Lol. Ko-Enma means Little God. Enma is a "real" god, the chinese counterpart is King Yama. So actually, no one in their right minds would name their son after a god. Lol. As this is an AU fic, Koenma isn't Prince of the Underworld.

Word Count - 1865

Review!! Pleasseee!


	15. Chapter 15

Omg, everyone, I have a reader who knows sign language!! wOOHOOO! Check out the reviews page, his/her (XD) name is RainyDayz.

I'm no longer in Malaysia now, I'm now in Canada! Will be studying here, so updates might be slower ...

* * *

**Chapter 15 : Silent Portrait**

"Act normal," Botan had advised after their meal. Yusuke and Keiko still thought that the office place wasn't likely to be bugged, but they knew Hiei would never risk it. They had arranged for Koenma to come the next day, dressed in ordinary clothes so that it wouldn't look so suspicious.

They returned to work, walking in silence. Botan was extremely wary of their surroundings, trying to stay alert and yet unsuspicious at the same time. Upon reaching Hiei's office building, Kurama and Shizuru turned to the group.

"We should get back to the shop too," said Shizuru, taking out a cigarette.

They engaged in a bit of small talk with Shizuru, especially Yusuke who had something to say to her.

Kurama, however, went over to Hiei, who had taken to staring at the snow falling from the blue-gray skies. The amount of snow was getting less; spring was nearing. But still it fell toward the ground just as leaves fall in autumn, just as rain falls from the sky. For one very dramatic moment, they stood in silence, Kurama watching Hiei, Hiei watching the snow fall.

The redhead was reminded of that day in the park. Hiei had been looking up at the sky as well, sitting on that bench...

Curious as to what Hiei was looking at, Kurama looked up as well, tilting his head.

The endless expanse of sky, of clouds ... and of the light touch of snowflakes on his eyelashes, his face...

Kurama wasn't sure if was the snow or Hiei or Yukina that made him feel so depressed all of a sudden. And that feeling made him want to run back to the shop and start painting. He sighed a beautiful sigh, turning to face Hiei, who was suddenly watching him with surprise in his eyes.

Upon realizing he had company, Hiei had turned to look at Kurama who was staring up at the sky, and his face was in such a puzzled expression he looked almost cute.

... For yet another dramatic moment, they stood in silence, Hiei watching Kurama, Kurama watching the snow fall.

_Kurama looks a bit different today_, thought Hiei absently. His vivid red hair was such a bright contrast to the colours around him, Hiei was slightly blinded.

And then everything seemed like it was magnified to him, suddenly he could see the snowflakes on Kurama's pale skin, and the stray strands of red hair on his face, and his emerald green eyes.

_What on earth am I doing? _

Shaking his head, he forced himself back into his cool and collected self. Kurama seemed like he was trying to communicate with him.

Using the simplest form of sign language he knew, Kurama gestured, asking the man he had now come to regard as a friend... **Will you be alright?**

Hiei knew not the gestures Kurama was making. His knowledge of sign language was still poor. Yet the meaning was conveyed... through Kurama's concerned eyes. Hiei would be going back to an empty apartment tonight and perhaps for the next few nights as well. Choking back a sudden lump rising in his throat, Hiei responded by nodding.

**Yes.**

And they both knew it was a lie ... words or not, sign language or not. (1)

* * *

Meanwhile, Yusuke had pulled Shizuru aside to discuss some things with her.

"Your bro, Kuwabara. He used to be quite the street fighter during high school, wasn't he?"

Shizuru's eyes narrowed dangerously, but Yusuke continued smirking arrogantly at her.

"Yeah, I know his gang. He knows my gang. We're pretty well-known. Those were the days ... but that's not the point," said Yusuke. He was about to continue his sentence when suddenly Shizuru shushed him.

"Look," breathed the woman, gazing at Hiei and Kurama. Yusuke, Keiko and Botan obediently looked, and gaped.

"Oh ... what are they doing ...?" said Botan in wonder.

"Trying to communicate?" said Keiko, covering her mouth with her hand and looking on curiously.

For one very dramatic moment, they stood in silence, the four of them watching Hiei and Kurama.

_It's nothing_, said Yusuke's mind hastily, _Kurama can't talk after all. And Hiei doesn't like to talk_. _That's why they're looking at each other like that. Maybe Kurama's trying to say something and Hiei's trying to understand it. Yeah, that's it. _

_God, I'm never making any gay jokes from now on..._

He chanced a glance at Shizuru, who was giggling away when the brief moment had passed. Yusuke rolled his eyes, shuddering.

"So, the point is ... can I come over for dinner tonight?"

* * *

Hiei felt a dull ache in his heart when he unlocked the door to his apartment that evening. Oki greeted him at the door, rubbing her master's leg. His stomach growled just as he bent down to pick up the fluffball who meowed piteously in his arms. He looked down in wonder, completely ignoring the whining cat.

_I can actually be hungry in a time like this?_

He turned to look at his empty kitchen, and the aching feeling seemed to fill in his whole body.

_I can't cook to save my life ... I guess I should eat out._

_Should I...? I mean, how can I eat at a time like this...?_

His stomach protested once more. So did his kitten.

_Well, if I fall sick like Kurama, I won't be able to do anything at all..._

* * *

"Nice house," said Yusuke appreciatively, stepping inside said house.

"You invited them for dinner?" said Kuwabara incredulously.

"Why not? They're friends of ours. Besides, you need to know what's going on too," said Shizuru, waving her guests in.

"Why? What's going on?"

Before anyone could answer him, the doorbell rang again.

"That must be Botan," said Yusuke cheerfully, walking to the door and opening it.

"Hey guys," chirped Botan. Her arm was linked with another man of average height with brown hair and eyes. "This is my boyfriend, Koenma."

"Hello," greeted Koenma politely, his face flushing lightly when referred to as Botan's boyfriend.

"Come on in," said Shizuru gruffly. "I thought we were gonna meet him tomorrow though," she added as she was closing the door.

"That's with Hiei. This is among us."

After much small talk and dinner provided by Shizuru, they sat at the table with solemn faces. Kuwabara was still in the dark about what was going on. No one dared to tell him yet.

"So..."

"Yukina's been kidnapped," blurted out Yusuke. Everyone winced, except Koenma who didn't know any better as he's never met Kuwabara before.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAT?!!! WHO DARES TO STEAL AWAY MY BELOVED YUKINA??!!! I'LL KILL HIM!! I'LL ---"

"Shut up," snapped Yusuke in annoyance. "Anyway, they demand ten million yen in exchange."

"Ten million -- what, you mean from Hiei?"

"Of course, you idiot."

"So what do we do? We have to save her!"

"If you'd just calm down for one second ..."

Koenma cleared his throat.

"Hiei cannot call the police. The man who's behind this has contacts in the police station, so if he finds out we've alerted the police, he might harm Yukina," explained Keiko.

"Koenma's the head officer though, so as long as it's outside the office, maybe he can help," said Botan proudly, looking at everyone at the table.

"So like, you know last week, or was it the week before, our office got broken into. Sort of. I was outside doing stuff and then Hiei came in late and we laughed at him and then suddenly he called my name in this scary voice," and here Yusuke paused and said loudly in a deep voice, "'URAMESHI. GET IN HERE. NOW,' and then I was like 'OH FUCK HIEI'S GOING TO MURDER ME---' "

Koenma was saved from the long-winded ramblings of Yusuke by Keiko.

"Yusuke, speak properly!"

"It's okay," said Koenma quickly. "Botan told me about it. Anyway, I don't think those people broke in just to fix cameras and stuff. They must have been looking for something else as well."

"Why do you think so?"

"Well, think about it ... if someone wanted to spy on Hiei, they wouldn't leave behind any proof that they were doing so. They'd sneak in, put the devices and leave without leaving anything different than it was before. No one would suspect anything wrong."

"But Hiei doesn't keep anything valuable in the office that other people might want. Plus even if they were looking for something, couldn't they put everything back as well?"

"Maybe they didn't have enough time. Maybe they wanted to give him a hard time. Also, it doesn't have to be money or valuables. It could be like, some agreement papers and or stuff like that. We won't know for sure."

"Then why didn't the kidnappers ask for that thing in exchange for Yukina?"

Everyone pondered over this question.

"Well, then it must be two different culprits. One is after something Hiei might have..."

"And that isn't what we know for sure," added Yusuke blatantly.

"... and the other one is after Hiei's money."

"So will you come in tomorrow and help us check for any bugs...?" asked Keiko. Koenma nodded, looking serious and grave.

"I'll bring my equipment. We'll look for any bugs that might be in the office. My guess is there aren't any hidden cameras, but your phone lines might be tapped. We can't remove them though, because that might alert them. So you guys have to be very careful on the phone. Once that's done, I can wire it through to a recording and tracking device and see if we can find out where he's calling from."

Everyone looked at him with wide eyes.

"What?" said Koenma, puzzled.

* * *

Walking into the restaurant, Hiei snapped at the waitresses and glared at everyone who dared to look at him and requested for a single, isolated table. As is normal for the multimillionaire.

He really wasn't expecting anyone at all.

So when he felt someone approach his table despite warnings from the waiters, his jaw almost dropped in surprise when he looked up and saw who it was.

* * *

Muahahaa.

(1) - This sentence seems grammatically wrong ... XD

I hope the HieiKurama moment wasn't too ... cliched/dramatic.

There IS someone after something that Hiei has. That "something" has not yet appeared in this fic ... XD

Word Count - 1689

Review!! Pleasseee!


	16. Chapter 16

Yeah yeah yeah ... no prizes for guessing who it was. Lol.

**

* * *

Chapter 16 : Silent Portrait**

Somewhat gloomily, Kurama trudged down the streets of the city, searching for a particularly cheap place to eat at. His mind was still preoccupied with thoughts and worries about Yukina. And Hiei.

He had returned to Shizuru's shop that afternoon with emotions bursting from him, emitting an aura of such depression and angst it was enough to affect the whole street. As it was though, he was to remain forever silent, and only able to express his feelings through his paintings.

Which is why he was quite surprised when he found that the emotions he wanted to transfer from his soul into his art seemed to only want to stay in the host. It insisted on not leaving, it insisted on making a permanent mark on his mind, of snowflakes and black hair and ruby eyes and the cold, gray sky.

It insisted on becoming merely a memory to remember by, and for some time Kurama stood facing the empty white space in irritation. Shizuru did not question his inability to produce a painting that whole day, as she thought that he, like the rest of the others, was worried about Yukina and couldn't concentrate properly on anything.

Of course he was worried about her. But that wasn't the point.

The point was, there was something else that was intervening with his thought processes, that made him want to rewind the events in his brain and pause and look for something that should be there, something he could not remember now.

It was as if something was ... left behind. Yes, that was it, he had the feeling as though he had forgotten something but he didn't know what it was.

_What an extremely peculiar feeling_, thought Kurama as he walked through the doors of a restaurant. He bit his lip in annoyance, something was wrong but he couldn't figure out what exactly.

He stopped dead in his footsteps when he saw a familiar face.

_I don't believe this_, thought Kurama in amazement, his eyes widening. They seemed to bump into each other so often. He took a step toward the famous businessman who was looking overly sour and moody and then he stopped abruptly.

_I shouldn't disturb him at a time like this,_ thought Kurama. Hiei hadn't looked up from the menu yet, so he retreated safely to another table near to where he was standing. If Hiei spotted him and acknowledged him, then he would go over. If not, Kurama decided to leave him alone.

Still, that didn't stop him from glancing over frequently to check on him.

Kurama wanted to slap himself. (1)

_Okay, let's think about something else, _thought Kurama hastily, picking up the menu. The waitress blushed and stuttered and stammered but he didn't notice, not at all. He pointed to his selection on the menu and hurriedly thrust it into the waitress's hands, shooing her away.

Someone else was approaching Hiei's table, and Kurama did not like the look of this man. He saw Hiei's surprised face and noted in alarm that Hiei suddenly looked quite uneasy and hostile.

Kurama cursed (in his head); he couldn't hear a thing from where he was seated.

* * *

"Nice to see you again, Hiei," said the man, smirking down at him. Hiei narrowed his eyes.

"What are you doing here?"

"Visiting."

Hiei snorted.

"Let's talk," said the man, sitting down at the table. Hiei glared daggers at him.

"I can help get Yukina back... for a price."

"How did you know what happened to her?" said Hiei suspiciously.

"I have my ways," replied the man smoothly.

"What price?" asked Hiei, but he already knew the answer.

The man leaned nearer to Hiei, fixing him with a grin.

"Five more."

"No," said Hiei immediately, stiffening.

"Oh? You do know that I am more effective than your ... 'friends'. What I ask for is nothing compared to Yukina's safety."

"What you ask for equals to more than ten million yen," said Hiei hotly.

"Fine. Three, then."

"I do not trust someone who spies on me," said Hiei venomously, getting up to leave.

"I don't spy on you," said the man, looking genuinely puzzled.

"Whatever. I have already paid my debt to you, Shigure. I will not create another one again," said Hiei, walking out of the restaurant, taking out his wallet. He stopped, coming face to face with Kurama, who didn't manage to hide himself in time. He gave the man a weak smile.

"Hn," was all Hiei managed to say before walking away, leaving Kurama staring after him in wonder. Kurama paid his and Hiei's bill in a hurry and took off after him.

* * *

Hiei's blood was boiling when he pushed past the crowd of people on the streets.

_How dare he ask for more_, he thought angrily.

_Asshole! _

_Arghh, Yukina! _

Someone put a hand on his shoulder. Hiei jerked away, but he knew it was Kurama.

"Leave me alone," said Hiei, walking faster.

**No**, thought Kurama. **I don't want to leave you alone. You might do something stupid.**

Of course, Hiei couldn't very well hear him.

Kurama lost his grip on the millionaire's shoulder. Trying to keep up, he latched on to Hiei's arm with both his hands.

"Kurama, let go!" said Hiei forcefully, wriggling out of Kurama's grasp. Kurama hung on, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

"What the fuck do you want?"

Kurama opened his eyes and came face to face with an angry, smoldering Hiei.

...And then both their stomachs growled at the same time.

* * *

"Idiot," muttered Hiei. He had let Kurama drag him to another restaurant, because Kurama didn't want him storming off without eating anything.

They sat opposite each other, in a table beside the window. Kurama scowled. Hiei glared.

Much to Kurama's dismay, Hiei ordered some whiskey. Kurama declined politely when Hiei offered some to him, not at all desiring to be in a drunken stupor. No, he had to remain sober for both their sakes.

When their food came, they ate in silence for awhile. Hiei watched Kurama delicately pick at his food and chew it. Half a bottle of whiskey was gone. A question came to his mind.

"Do you ever feel lonely at times, Kurama?"

Kurama choked, then looked up from his plate.

"Eh?" came the soft, puzzled sound from Kurama. (2)

"I said, do you ever feel lonely at times?" repeated Hiei.

**I know what you said**, thought Kurama. **It was just so odd and random, that's all. **

**Oh wait, you're drinking, I forgot.**

Nevertheless, Kurama lowered his head and nodded.

"Why? Why do feel lonely... why do we have this need to be ... not alone?" said Hiei, turning to look out the window.

Kurama wanted very badly to say something, to communicate properly with him, but the words were too complicated. No, Hiei would not be able to understand his gestures, his knowledge of sign language was only limited to the alphabet.

Hiei took another sip of his drink. Kurama eyed him warily.

"Whenever I see you, I always think... That's Kurama. He's an artist, he drowns himself in his art, and in a world of his own ... wouldn't he feel lonely? Wouldn't he feel as though... no one would be able to understand him?"

Kurama gaped at the man opposite him. Hiei looked very much aware of what he was saying, he didn't have the look of a drunk, and he hasn't even started to smell of alcohol yet.

"And sometimes I wonder, the moon I look up to every night, is it the same moon that you see?" continued Hiei, taking another sip of his drink.

"Every night... every night I look out my window... and the moon... appears different to me every night."

Hiei downed the whole glass in one shot. Kurama snatched the bottle of whiskey away, alarmed.

"Every night, I feel... uneasy. And I hate feeling that. It's annoying."

Kurama had no idea what Hiei was saying anymore. His sentence didn't make sense at all. Suddenly Hiei's face turned from melancholy and depressed to anger.

"Give me back my whiskey," said Hiei, scowling.

Kurama shook his head.

"Give it back."

_Why isn't he saying anything...?_ thought Hiei, glaring harder. Then he remembered Kurama was mute.

"Give. It. Back," repeated Hiei menacingly, leaning forward. Kurama leaned back, clutching the bottle to his chest.

Hiei stood up, swaying very slightly, then slid into the seat beside Kurama. The redhead faced away from him, holding the bottle tighter.

"Ku-ra-ma!" said Hiei, gritting his teeth, trying to grab the bottle from Kurama. Kurama moved away from Hiei until he reached the wall. He tightened his hold on the bottle and curled into a ball.

Soon Hiei gave up and slumped down in his seat.

"Ugh, baka!!!!!" said Hiei vehemently.

Feeling it was finally safe, Kurama turned around to face Hiei. In a flash the bottle was wrested from his hold and Hiei cackled triumphantly. Kurama inched away from the man.

"I wish all my staff and my asshole customers were like you, Kurama," he began again, filling his glass with whiskey. He didn't bother to go back to his own seat, so Kurama just sat and listened.

"Then I wouldn't have to listen to their stupid voices."

Then he paused and seemed to think it over again.

"No, if they were mute, they'd expect me to do all the talking. I hate that."

"And if Yusuke were mute, I wouldn't be able to tell him to shut up."

"Not that he listens to me, but still."

Kurama listened with wide eyes. Jaganshi-san, the great corporate millionaire, the rich business executive, the cold and aloof and indifferent man was rambling. Under influence of alcohol, no doubt, but it wasn't something that happened everyday.

Hiei continued on with his rantings, and if Kurama had paid more attention, he would have noticed that it often had something to do with him.

An hour later Hiei called for the bill.

* * *

"I don't wanna go back," said Hiei as they walked out of the restaurant. It was late, the streets were deserted. Kurama was worried about Hiei. The man wasn't completely drunk, but he wasn't completely sober either. He seemed to be more depressed than drunk.

"Yukina's not there. I don't want to go there."

Hiei suddenly stopped. Kurama turned to look at him.

"I'm staying here. Right here, in this spot. Because I'm not going home. It's not home without Yukina."

Kurama closed his eyes in exasperation. Rolling up his sleeves, he grabbed Hiei by the arm and dragged the protesting man with all his strength.

Then he stopped. _Where does Hiei live? I don't know... and he won't tell me. I can't even ask him anyway. _

_I have no choice... I have to bring him back to my place. _

He tightened his hold on Hiei, who let out a string of curses Kurama never heard before.

* * *

Back at his place, Kurama unlocked the door and pushed the man in. Hiei stumbled in blearily.

"This isn't my place," he voiced out loud, puzzled.

"I thought you were gonna bring me back to my house," he said, pointing at Kurama accusingly.

Rolling his eyes, Kurama pushed him toward the bed and made him lie down.

"Kurama... Baka..." mumbled Hiei sleepily, then rolled over to one side. Kurama went into the bathroom, deciding to take a shower.

He reviewed the events of that night in his head. Then he remember the first words Hiei said to him that night. He remembered the question Hiei asked.

_Hiei thinks I'm lonely because I see things differently... Because I live in a totally different world I created by myself, through my paintings._ He toweled himself dry and stepped out of the toilet. He glanced over at the sleeping figure on his bed.

_That's not me, Hiei. _

_It is you. _

* * *

HAHA FOOLED YOU THERE DIDN'T I? LOL

I KNOW everyone suspected it would be Kurama (because Kurama was the only one not there in Shizuru's house) but you never thought I'd bring a new character in this far into the story did you? XD

Muahehehe.

Shigure IS a character from the anime. He's the surgeon who implanted Hiei's Jagan for him, and made him promise never to tell Yukina that he was her brother. I thought of using Karasu but then I figured that would be more of Kurama's enemy insead of Hiei's enemy. Lol.

Hiei wasn't drunk in this chapter, it's very unlike him. He's just slightly high, and that somewhat loosens your mouth a little bit.

This chapter was done because I felt I have to speed things up between these two bakas a liiiiiiiiiiitle bit. Lol.

(1) - Denial's a river in Egypt, and Kurama is halfway drowning in it ... XD

(2) - I don't care!! In my fic Kurama's ALLOWED to make cute sounds/noises!!! Even if he's mute!!

Word Count - 1983

Review!! Pleasseee!


	17. Chapter 17

Thanks RainyDayz for that important note! I've already thought of how to use that XD

Also thanks to all you reviewers out there! 237 reviews!! wooohooo!

* * *

**Chapter 17 : Silent Portrait**

Kurama woke up, blinking sleepily. He sat up straight, stretching, and then cringing when he heard several popping noises from his protesting body. Yes, he had been a kind and generous man and gave his bed to Jaganshi Hiei whilst he sat on the floor and rested his head on the bed, just near to Hiei's fluffy spiky hair.

The man was still asleep, snoring softly away. A small smile escaped Kurama's lips. Unconsciously, Kurama leaned in closer.

_Well, this brings back memories, _thought Kurama absently, smoothening the blanket draped over Hiei.

_His face is so small..._

Then Kurama drew back, his fingers covering his eyes, as though afraid to look upon the sleeping man any longer. He drew in a shaky breath, feeling his heart pound incessantly in his ears. Kurama scooted even further back when he saw Hiei's eyelids flutter open groggily.

"Ugh..." groaned Hiei, staring up at the ceiling. He was greeted with the sight of yellowing walls and more than a few cobwebs.

"What the -- " said Hiei, jumping up in alarm. Then his eyes fell on Kurama, who looked somewhat bemused. Realization dawned on him then.

"Oh..."

Kurama 'mmm'ed and nodded his head. He tried his best to put on a happy smile. Hiei didn't notice, however, because he didn't look at him.

"I'm meeting Koenma today," said Hiei out loud, looking at the clock. It read 9.30 a.m. The both of them cringed, realizing that they were late.

"I'm gonna wash up," mumbled Hiei, making his way to the tiny bathroom. Kurama flopped back down onto his bed, muffling a sigh.

Suddenly an odd vibrating sound got his attention. He looked up and saw Hiei's mobile phone on the bed, ringing

* * *

"Hiei's late..."

"What if Hiei got kidnapped?" said Botan frantically. Everyone turned to stare at her.

"It might be nothing... maybe he's just late," said Koenma, leaning back against Yusuke's desk.

"Hiei's NEVER late! NEVER! It's just not like him to be late!"

"He was late once, Botan ... remember? So stop worrying. "

The door opened, and Shizuru stood at the doorway, looking worried.

"Hey Shizuru," greeted Keiko, gesturing her in and closing the door.

The room fell silent when they noticed the absence of another person.

"Where's Kurama?"

"He didn't come in this morning," said Shizuru, biting her lip. Botan gasped out loud.

"Oh no... What if he got kidnapped as well?!"

"Nooo... what are we going to do?" she wailed. Yusuke reached for the phone and dialed Hiei's number again.

"Answer ... answer, dammit ... ans -- hello? Hello? Hiei? Oi... hello?"

Everyone crowded around Yusuke, eager to hear more.

"Put it on speakerphone, Yusuke," urged Keiko.

"Someone picked up, but no one's talking," said Yusuke irritably, switching on the speakerphone.

"It must be the kidnappers..." said Botan, her eyes wide.

Then Yusuke proceeded to yell into the phone.

"OI! YOU FUCKING BASTARDS! YOU'VE ALREADY GOT HIEI'S SISTER, YOU WANT HIM AS WELL?! AND DRAGGING INNOCENT KURAMA INTO THIS SHIT! YOU PERVERTED GAY FUCKERS, JUST CUZ HE LOOKS PRETTY AND SEXY AND HOT! WELL LET ME TELL Y---"

"Are you done, Urameshi?" snarled the voice on the other end of the line, a voice Yusuke, Keiko and Botan knew all too well. Yusuke meeped.

* * *

Hiei was slightly shorter than Kurama, and also slightly smaller in stature compared to Kurama, but that didn't deter the redhead from hiding behind the millionaire when they walked into his office. Kurama met Yusuke's gaze and promptly scooted away to a corner of the room.

"Mind telling me why you were shouting profanities just now, Yusuke?" said Hiei icily, settling himself down onto his chair.

"Ehm..." began Yusuke, scratching his head, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Hiei seemed to have an uncanny ability in being able to change the temperature at will with his volcanic temper.

"We thought you were kidnapped because you were late," said Keiko quickly.

"And no one answered the phone so we thought it really was the kidnappers..."

"_Kurama _answered the phone," said Hiei in annoyance. "And I assume everyone knows that Kurama _can't speak_," he added, glaring at everyone in the room.

"Well how were we supposed to know that Kurama was with you? Sheeesh," said Yusuke. Hiei fixed his glare on his assistant, but didn't say anything to counter his argument.

"Congratulations, Kurama is now not only mute, but deaf as well," said Hiei, rolling his eyes and gesturing to Kurama.

"I didn't shout that loud, did I? Aw, come on, Kurama, we were all worried and I was angry," said Yusuke, bounding over to the redhead.

Kurama sweatdropped and smiled weakly at Yusuke. He was flattered that Yusuke thought of him as pretty, but adding 'hot' and 'sexy' to that is just too much for him to handle.

"We've already set up the tracking device," began Koenma hastily, sitting in front of Hiei. "All we have to do is wait for the call. And I've removed all the bugs in the phone, there were one in each phone in your room. In the meantime... are you willing to pay the ransom? Because I was thinking that if I took the fake money from the station it would be very suspicious."

"I can't possibly take out ten million yen in two days. You need to provide me with as much as you can. And you also need to get rid of the problem within your station. Plus, what do we do once we've figured out where they are? Are you going to storm in and rescue her?"

"If I can get a hold of the fake money without being caught, we can trade the money for Yukina and leave. The fake money is obviously of no value to us. However, if we cannot use the fake money, then things will be a bit difficult... unless you're willing to part with ten million yen forever."

Hiei clenched his fists, cursing.

"What about if we give them the money, but in the end they still don't let Yukina go?"

"Well..." said Koenma sheepishly, scratching his head.

Suddenly the phone rang, jolting them out of their serious discussion. Koenma jumped up and began fiddling with the tracking device. He motioned for Hiei to pick up the phone.

"Hiruiseki Corp.," said Hiei boredly.

"Jaganshi-sama, how have you been?" said the voice at the other end of the line. Hiei's clenched fists tightened until his knuckles were almost white.

"_Kisama_," hissed Hiei into the phone.

"Oh, come on. Today is the second day. You'll find a map to the location in your mail later on today. Remember; don't go to the police... I will know if you do. If you play any tricks..."

"The money will be yours," said Hiei, biting out each word in extreme hatred. He hated being manipulated so easily. _This is one of the reasons why I hoped that Yukina would never come find me_, thought Hiei in annoyance. "Just don't hurt Yukina," he added.

"Heh. Whatever."

There was a 'click' sound, and Hiei slammed the phone down.

"Well?!" he roared at Koenma. Everyone flinched, but Koenma alone seemed unfazed.

"Done it," said Koenma triumphantly. "The signal's coming from somewhere outside the city, somewhere secluded. However, the rendezvous point (1) would probably be a different location than this place..."

"I don't see the point," said Yusuke. "Even if we know the location now, there's nothing we can do about it. The police can't do anything about it. There's no guarantee that Yukina will be safely returned to us."

For once Hiei did not rebuke his overly dramatic assistant.

"Would it be possible to send ONLY a squad of Koenma's most trusted officers to go rescue her?" asked Shizuru.

"We can't do that. They'd hurt Yukina," objected Keiko at once.

"Besides, it's too risky. Sometimes the most trusted person you know may be the one to betray you."

The room fell silent as everyone pondered over the best option.

"Fucking hell," muttered Hiei under his breath as he picked up the phone, finally making up his mind.

"What are you doing?" asked Botan anxiously. Hiei glared at her, shutting her up instantly.

"I appreciate your help, Koenma," said Hiei. "You may leave now. I'll handle this on my own."

"Wha –- "

"But –- "

"Why –- "

"All of you. Out of the room now," ordered Hiei. "I'm going to make an important phone call. Koenma, please remove your devices. Thanks for your help."

"Oi, Hiei – "

"OUT!"

They scurried out of the room, but peered through the glass window from outside to stare at Hiei.

"What's happening?"

"Maybe he has a better option that he doesn't want us to know about."

"…If he doesn't want us to know about it, it's definitely illegal."

Hiei sent a killer glare to the peeping toms outside his office and swiveled around to face the window. He snorted when he heard the collective groans that came from right outside his room. Dialing the number with unease settling into every fiber of his being, he waited and prepared himself for the offer he was about to take.

He smirked bitterly when his call was answered.

"I'm willing to negotiate."

* * *

After it became clear that Hiei had finally hung up, they trooped into the room, one by one. Not one of them dared to question the businessman though.

"Na, Hiei…" began Yusuke, ever the brave and bold one.

"I'm not going to answer you."

"Then at least tell us what's going to happen!" cried Keiko.

"Yukina will be safe. I know all of you want to help, but there really is nothing you can do, so I have resorted to… other means."

"But…why can't you tell us what you've done?"

"Yeah, did you get someone powerful to help you or something?"

Hiei made the mistake of looking into Kurama's eyes, who gasped softly in recognition.

"Shut up and get back to work."

"At least tell us what you are going to do," pleaded Botan.

"I'm going to book a plane."

"Where?"

"As if I'd tell you."

"You're going alone?!" said Yusuke incredulously.

"Why not?"

"…"

"Well… guess we should get back to the shop then, Kurama. Bye everyone," said Shizuru, waving to them half-heartedly. It was almost eleven thirty in the morning.

"Bye," came the chorus of replies, excluding Hiei. Koenma excused himself politely and left.

The office was decidedly quiet again, and Hiei exhaled deeply.

Suddenly his thoughts snapped to Kurama, and he realized that he never did thank the redhead for helping him the previous night.

Hiei plonked his head down onto his desk, ignoring the concerned looks from his staff and groaned_. Great, just what I need… another debt to repay. _

_Then again, _he thought_, Kurama really is a weird one. Everyone knows who I am. Yet on the first day we met, he didn't run off with my wallet or anything. _

_What am I trying to prove again? _

_I can't remember. _

_Damn it, my thoughts are so messed up. _

_Whatever. Need to book the plane ride. _

* * *

Hmm... no author's notes this time. Lol. Oh well. Yukina will be rescued next chapter, probably.

Word Count - 1820

Review!! Pleasseee!


	18. Chapter 18

I must admit this fiction will take more than just 20 chapters (as this is already chapter 18 and there still isn't much between Hiei and Kurama), so if you are impatient and you want to read more fast-paced ones, then that's too bad because I'm going to go at my own pace.

So in case some of you have been wondering where the relationship stands now, it's like this: They're both thinking of each other unconsciously, and Hiei treats Kurama better than any other person (except Yukina) and Kurama likes him. He's just slightly in denial.

Hiei... now that's a secret XD

Since you wanted fast-paced, I decided not to include details of how Shigure rescued darling Yukina.

**I'm very sorry for the long wait. I had to do some research about certain places in Japan... which have to do with where Hiei's secret place is. Hehe. Anyway, here, enjoy!**

**

* * *

Chapter 18 : Silent Portrait**

Hiei settled in comfortably in his first-class seat in the airplane, staring out the window. He had given instructions to Yusuke to tell others he was on a 'business' trip, and he would not be available until he returned. If prompted, Yusuke was to say that Hiei was in Osaka.

Of course, Hiei was far from Osaka. Osaka was the most ideal explanation, as it is the third largest city in Japan, being the economic powerhouse of the Kansai Region. However that was not his destination, and only served to throw suspecting people off.

Sometimes he hated being a well-known public figure.

* * *

No one knew why Hiei was going away, but to Yusuke and the others, it wasn't unusual. Hiei didn't like to leave his office when it came to meeting his clients, but every once in awhile Hiei would disappear off to "Osaka", and no one thought anything about it. Only Yusuke knew that Hiei wasn't really going to Osaka. He just didn't know where Hiei actually went during those timed disappearances.

It seemed that only Yukina knew, and perhaps Yukina even accompanied her brother during those trips.

Now, however, Yusuke was beginning to suspect something.

"It's not a coincidence," insisted Yusuke earnestly.

"I never said it was."

"I mean, come on, first he dials that mysterious number, talks to the mysterious man, and now he mysteriously disappears!"

"Yusuke, you need a new vocabulary," said Botan, laughing.

"Besides, he hasn't _mysteriously _disappeared, he's in Osaka right?"

Yusuke bit his lip, not trusting himself to say anything.

Keiko inched closer, suddenly doubting herself.

"Right...?"

"Um, yes."

"Okay ..." said Keiko, still eyeing her boyfriend suspiciously.

"But I'm still worried about Yukina though," said Botan.

"That's another thing! You know how much Hiei loves his sister, how can he just up and leave at such an important time like now?!"

"That's true..."

The phone rang at Hiei's desk, interrupting the discussion. Botan picked it up, as she was nearer to Hiei's desk.

"Good afternoon, Hiruiseki Corp., how may I help you?"

"You're not Urameshi," said a man's voice, slightly puzzled.

"No, Urameshi is right here, do you want me to -" said Botan, but she was cut off immediately. Yusuke looked questioningly at her, wondering why his name was mentioned.

"Never mind. Just tell this to Urameshi. Listen carefully. In another five minutes time, a white car will pull up in front of the office building. Come down and collect your package. If I do not see Urameshi anywhere, I will leave with **her**. Unless you want your boss to kill you, I suggest you tell him now."

"But --"

The man had already hung up.

"Yusuke-we-only-have-five-minutes-come-with-me!" recited Botan at top speed before dragging him bodily out of the room.

The lift ride down had never felt like an eternity.

* * *

Shigure sat comfortably in the back seat of his limousine, flipping his mobile phone close.

"Are you afraid?" he asked smoothly, not even looking at her.

"N-no," stammered Yukina, blushing. She was intimidated, yes, and a part of her was afraid he might suddenly turn around and kidnap her instead, because everyone knows that Hiei was wealthy and loved his sister and would do anything to get her back.

"May I ask... why did you save me?"

Shigure glanced at her with some amusement, and she flushed.

"We're here," announced the driver solemnly. Yukina looked out the window eagerly, looking around for a familiar face. Finally she spotted Botan dragging a very irate man behind her. She squealed with delight and looked pleadingly over to Shigure.

"Go ahead," grunted Shigure, taking out a cigarette and lighting it.

"Thank you very much for saving me," said Yukina, nodding her head gratefully, before getting down from the car and throwing herself into both Yusuke and Botan's arms.

"Oh my God Yukina what happened? How did he save you? Do you know him? Did he hurt you? Did the other people hurt you? What did he do to them?"

"Botan, shut up," said Yusuke irritably as they walked in the building. Evidently he was still pissed off about Botan's manhandling. Botan stuck out her tongue at him and accosted Yukina once more. The petite woman only smiled at them with tears in her eyes, but wondered why her brother was not there.

"Where's Oniisan?"

"He's in Osaka on a business trip," said Botan automatically, pressing the button in the lift.

"Or so it seems," muttered Yusuke, shoving his hands in his pockets. But Yukina heard him, and realization dawned on her then. _He usually doesn't go this time of the year, _she thought, biting her lip.

Ignoring the weird expressions Hiei's staff gave her, she followed Yusuke and Botan to Hiei's office. Hiei disliked it when she came to the office, so she rarely came to see him during office hours.

"Maybe you should give him a call," said Botan, opening the door of Hiei's office. Keiko jumped up with a squeal from where she was sitting and practically flew over to Yukina.

"Oh Kami-sama you're safe! You're safe! Are you alright? What happened?"

"I'm fine... I'll tell you about it... but I want to talk to Oniisan first," replies Yukina, smiling. She heads to the phone on Yusuke's desk and dials a number.

"Hello?"

"Oniisan!" said Yukina, tears forming in her eyes.

"Yukina... Are you alright? Shigure didn't harm you, did he?" came Hiei's voice on the other line.

"Shigure?"

"The man who rescued you. He's ... an acquaintance of mine."

"No, he didn't harm me. I'm fine, Oniisan. Where are you?"

"...Osaka."

"But..."

"I can't tell you right now, but I'll be back tonight. Don't worry about me. Stay with Yusuke and the others for awhile. Don't go back to the apartment until I reach here."

"Okay, Oniisan. What time will you be back?"

"Probably around eight. I'm catching the earliest flight back. Can you pass the phone to Yusuke?"

Yukina handed the phone over, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. She wanted to talk to her brother more, but she knew he was busy handling his things in 'Osaka'. She would wait patiently for her brother.

"Yeah, boss, sup?" said Yusuke, glancing over worriedly to Yukina.

"Take care of Yukina. Don't lose sight of her. I've already told her not to go back to the apartment without me."

"Sure... then where do we go?"

"Anywhere," said Hiei. There was a slight pause. "I trust you, Yusuke."

Yusuke smirked; this was the first time Hiei said that to his face.

"No prob... we'll bring her out for a nice dinner. Hey, how about when you arrive, contact me and I'll tell you where we are so you can join us?"

* * *

Kurama sat in silence with Shizuru and Kuwabara, chuckling amusedly at their incessant bickering about little things, and how Shizuru always won the argument with her fist. Kuwabara was being very anxious and excited to see his beloved Yukina again. They were in a dreary, desolate pub, waiting for Yusuke and the rest to arrive.

"You do realize you're going to scare her away, you know?" said Shizuru blandly, lighting a cigarette.

Kuwabara stopped in the middle of his fantasies of proposing to his lovely maiden.

"What?"

"Yukina. You're going to scare her away if you keep doing things like that."

"Things like what?"

"Saying you love her. You barely even know her. How can you say that?"

Kuwabara grew unnaturally quiet. Kurama tensed at the silence. He felt weird; his heart was worrying about something... _something..._ but what was there to worry about? Yukina was safe, and she would be arriving soon.

He caught sight of a bottle of whiskey in the glass cabinet directly in front of him and for a moment his heart stopped.

_Hiei. _

_Is that who I've been worrying about? Hiei?_ Kurama thought as he swirled his drink about in the intricate glass. He stared into it sorrowfully.

_Do I like him...?_

He gulped the whole drink down, feeling slightly light-headed. Shizuru glanced over at his sudden movement, ignoring her brother. She watched Kurama down another glass five minutes later, looking oddly sad about something. She was about to ask him what was wrong when Yusuke and the rest of them arrived.

"Sorry guys," said Keiko apologetically, taking a seat beside Shizuru. "Hiei's plane landed earlier than we expected so we decided to go pick him up."

"Is that supposed to be my fault?" said Hiei icily, taking a seat next to Kurama. Keiko hastily said 'No'.

"_Oniisan_," reproached Yukina. Hiei fell silent.

"My beautiful Yukina!!" cried Kuwabara. Shizuru kicked him. "How are you? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Kazuma-kun."

"Your beautiful Yukina?" hissed Hiei under his breath. Kurama winced and edged away slightly from him.

"They locked me in this room, but other than that they didn't do anything bad to me."

"So what happened? Who rescued you? What if the kidnappers come back again for you?" asked Botan.

"I don't know who rescued me," said Yukina, pausing to look at her brother. When he did not reply, she added, "I don't know what he did to the kidnappers, because I didn't see any trace of them after that."

"Drop the subject," said Hiei sullenly. Everyone complied and hastily began to order drinks.

* * *

It happened then, that night, Kurama discovered he could no longer fight the feelings stirring inside of him; feelings he knew had something to do with Hiei. He could no longer deny it... he could no longer blame it on anything or anyone...

_Perhaps it's the alcohol_, thought Kurama dazedly.

They had been talking there for more than three hours, enjoying the company of each other and having fun. They played a few drinking games, but none drank more than Kurama, for he drank willingly and stupidly. He didn't look drunk, nor did he look high. Yusuke immediately classified him into the "gentle drunk", very much the opposite of the "violent drunk" which he and Kuwabara were.

Now they were trying to find out which category Hiei belonged to, but they were failing remarkably as Hiei refused to drink when prompted.

Kurama had been stealing glances at him whenever he could, and he found that the more he drank the more he looked. Finally getting sick of it, he left for the washroom, stumbling a little in the process.

Hiei watched the redhead leave, taking a sip of his drink.

"There, he's drinking! Drink some more, Hiei!" said Yusuke loudly, cheering him. Hiei blinked at the half-drunk man.

"I was only taking a sip."

"Why can't you get drunk faster??"

"I don't intend to, Urameshi."

"But Hiei -"

Hiei rolled his eyes and got up from his seat.

"Oniisan, are we leaving already?" said Yukina, looking up from where she was chatting with the other girls.

Hiei, who was already walking away from the table, turned around briefly to reply "not yet" and then collided with another body. The impact didn't knock him to the floor, but it was enough to make him slightly dizzy, he had knocked his forehead against something hard. Hiei cursed, expecting an apology, for he never apologized to anyone but Yukina but none came. He looked up, staring into emerald green eyes.

"Kurama?"

The redhead nodded woozily.

"Watch where you're going," muttered Hiei, although he knew well that it was his fault.

Hiei didn't expect an apology this time, but he received it in the most unusual way.

He stiffened the moment soft fingers touched his forehead, gently rubbing it and pushing aside the stray strands of black hair that usually covered his eyes. Red eyes met green eyes again, then suddenly the hands withdrew, and Kurama gave a small nod of his head to indicate he was sorry, and quickly scooted back to the table, leaving Hiei alone. Hiei shook his head and entered the washroom, still slightly shocked by the physical contact.

When he came out, he saw Kurama resting his head on his arms on the table, effectively shielding his face away from others. He concluded that the redhead was quite intoxicated and tired by now.

What he didn't know was that said redhead was actually cursing himself repeatedly for his earlier actions, hoping that the millionaire did not realize the affection or feelings he had for him by that simple gesture.

* * *

Word Count - 2062

Omg this was a pain to write. Lol.

Please review!


	19. Chapter 19

Haha, yeah I am aware that I contradicted myself.

I was quite disappointed that readers were asking me to go faster, and I said I would go at my own pace, yet here I am cutting out the scene of Yukina's rescue!

What the fuck am I saying, you ask?

There's a reason for that -wink-

**

* * *

**

"He's totally wasted," remarked Botan.

"He looks very sad about something," said Shizuru.

"He drank a lot, but not as much as these two idiots here," said Keiko, giving Yusuke a kick.

"Why should he be sad? I mean, isn't it a happy occasion? We got Yukina back safely, right?"

"..."

"Kazuma-kun has you to help him back home, Shizuru. Yusuke has Keiko. What about Kurama...?"

All eyes turned to Hiei, who had overheard the conversation and was now scowling at the lot of them.

They flinched.

"Yukina, only you can do it!" said Keiko, whispering as softly as she could.

"Yes, you have to! You're the only one who knows where Kurama stays, and you and Hiei are the only ones sober!"

"Oniisan drank too, so I'm not sure how sober he is... but I'll try," said Yukina uncertainly, looking over at her brother. She looked at Keiko and Botan once more. They both gave her encouraging looks, urging her to go on.

Hiei knew he had lost before his sister had even opened her mouth.

* * *

"Ah, wasn't that fun, Oniisan?" said Yukina cheerfully, looping Kurama's left arm around her shoulder as they exited the pub. Hiei was quite red in the face and extremely tired, but sober enough to help carry a drunk man.

"Depends on your idea of fun," he retorted, but not nastily. "I have a feeling I'm going to regret tonight tomorrow," he muttered, shaking his head, then blinked.

_That sentence sounded grammatically incorrect..._

_Stupid alcohol._

Grunting, he adjusted the redhead's limp arm around his shoulder and continued walking. They were going at a really slow pace, and Hiei was getting rather weary and worried as it was very late. No, he did not want to go through the trouble of fending off street gangs or thieves or anybody else when he was half drunk.

"It's the first time ever I'd seen you have fun, Oniisan!"

Hiei fought the urge to roll his eyes.

"They're such good friends."

"Depends on your idea of friends," muttered Hiei. He felt like clawing the image of Kuwabara and Yukina together out of his eyes.

"Honestly, Oniisan, they are!"

"Hai, hai..."

"It feels as though nothing bad had happened earlier..." said Yukina thoughtfully, biting her lip.

"Don't talk about it," said Hiei sharply, not wanting to bring up his sister's kidnapping. Yukina obediently did so and changed the topic.

"Let's call a cab," suggested Yukina.

"What about him?" said Hiei vehemently, roughly shaking Kurama, who responded with a slight groan.

"He can stay overnight..."

"NO."

"Just one night! Look at him! Look at how thin he is!"

Hiei growled.

"Oniisan, it's late... and it's dangerous. And why are you so against other people coming to our house anyway?"

"..."

"Don't you like him, Oniisan...? He's the only one you've never scolded at all so far."

"Because he can't speak, and therefore can't contradict me or offend me."

"So why can't you just let him stay for one night? Besides, do you really want to carry him up two flights of stairs?"

Silence.

"Please, Oniisan, let's just get a cab..."

And for the second time that night, Hiei lost the battle again.

* * *

"Now, wasn't that so much easier?"

"Yes..." mumbled Hiei, knowing he'd never get anywhere with disagreeing, because it _really _was so much easier to call a cab. People assumed he had a chauffeur... a limousine, just like all other movie stars and bigshots, but Hiei was not one to spoil himself, and neither would he risk his privacy being disturbed.

"What time is it?"

"About 3 in the morning..." replied Yukina as she opened the door to their apartment.

"Where do we put him?"

"The couch will do... the other bedroom is too messy for him to sleep in."

Hiei dumped the redhead unceremoniously onto the plush sofa, cursing under his breath.

"I'll handle him, Oniisan," said Yukina, coming out of the spare bedroom with a cozy blanket. She lightly pushed Hiei aside and proceeded to make Kurama more comfortable on the couch, tucking him in like a mother would her child.

"Aren't you tired at all?" asked Hiei, glaring at the innocent sleeping form on his living room sofa.

"No."

"Maybe it's because you didn't drink any alcohol. Anyway... I'm going to bed... goodnight. Don't stay up tending to him, he's barely awake enough to be handled," said Hiei, pulling her into a one armed hug before heading off to his room, yawning.

"Goodnight, Oniisan," said Yukina softly, with a smile. She picked Oki up and retired to her bedroom, sinking down at the edge of her bed.

Then the tears started to fall.

* * *

"Bloody Yusuke," growled Hiei as he tossed and turned in bed. This wasn't right at all. He was half-drunk and needed to sleep so badly, yet he couldn't go to sleep. His limbs were aching and his eyes felt tired but it seemed as though his mind did not want to rest.

_I don't understand. I slept fine that night when I drank with Kurama ..._

_Kurama... _

Again the redhead had brought him home. In all the fuss of his sister's kidnapping, he never even thanked him for his courtesy and hospitality. Hiei was never one for manners all the time, he thought it was a waste of time and if he didn't like someone why should he bother showing otherwise? But he knew how to appreciate a gesture that was honest.

Besides, Kurama was like a friend.

Kurama _is _a friend.

Do I consider him my friend?

That would be the first in... a long time.

* * *

Yukina hummed a soft tune as she worked in the kitchen, preparing breakfast for Hiei and Kurama, if he decided he was sober enough to eat. She gazed fondly over at the redhead sleeping on the couch, and her brother glaring at him.

She would have giggled out aloud, but she had more control than that.

After all, she wasn't that dense to notice that her brother had finally accepted someone as a friend.

Which was good, in a way, as Hiei needed that kind of companionship.

Her brother had finally found a friend.

Now all she had to do was find him a girlfriend... (1)

"Breakfast's done," she announced cheerfully, setting the food on the table. Hiei got up to wake Kurama, but Yukina shook her head.

"He won't be able to eat just yet."

"..."

Hiei sat down and ate his breakfast, ignoring the slight throbbing in his head. It still wasn't enough for him to ignore what he saw in his sister's eyes though.

"Yukina... why are your eyes so red?" (2)

She fumbled and nearly dropped her chopsticks.

"Um... some soap got into my eyes just now," she said, rubbing them.

It was a plausible excuse, but Hiei knew she was lying. He just didn't know why.

"That's unusual," he remarked.

"Yeah, I know," agreed Yukina.

"Are you going to work?" asked Hiei, finishing his food and getting up from his seat.

"I can't leave Kurama-kun alone here," said Yukina, biting her lip.

"You're going to stay and look after him?"

"I suppose..."

"I don't think it's necessary," said Hiei. _It isn't bloody logical, I don't want my sister to be alone with a man in MY house. _

"Really?"

"Yeah. He can take care of himself. All we do is just leave him a note."

"But..."

"And we shouldn't make Kurama feel any guiltier. You know how he doesn't really like people fussing over him," said Hiei, sensing that his sister was relenting. _I can't believe the rubbish spewing out of my mouth. As if I care what he thinks! _

"I suppose you're right..."

Hiei smirked; victory was his.

"Wow, Oniisan, you seem to know Kurama very well now. That's good!"

His face fell immediately into a scowl.

_Dammit, how the hell does she do it?! And she didn't even say that on purpose!_

So Yukina wrote a fairly long note for Kurama and placed it on the table beside him.

"I'm walking you to Shizuru's, everyday, and no, you can't object," said Hiei sternly. Yukina looked over at her brother and laughed.

"Bye Oki," said Yukina, petting the kitten's soft fur as she drank out of a bowl of milk.

They left the house to start another new day.

* * *

Kurama woke up when something tickled his side. He was about to go back to sleep when the tickling spread to his stomach and chest. He opened his eyes blearily... and came face to face with a black kitten.

_Where am I...?_

He looked around him, taking in the elegant and comfy furniture, the wide space, and the portrait he recognized on the wall...

_Hiei's apartment? _

_There's a note for me... _

_'Dear Kurama-kun, I have prepared breakfast for you on the table. We decided not to wake you up because you would need rest. If you need some aspirin, it's in the left cupboard in the kitchen. Rest well, and maybe we can go for lunch and you can continue working in the afternoon. _

_Yukina' _

Kurama smiled lazily, but winced when his head started to pound. Putting the note back on the table and deciding that breakfast could wait, he fell back into slumber.

Oki snuggled up to his side.

* * *

(1) - Attraction unapparent yet, to others. Lol.

(2) - I KNOW they're red. I'm talking about normal human bloodshot red. Except hers isn't that bloodshot. Lol.

Word Count - 1558

Review! Pleaaaaase! And I'm sorry I took so long to update!


	20. Chapter 20

I have nothing to say, no lame excuses to make for the lack of updates, except that I am truly sorry

-bows deeply-

**Chapter 20 : Silent Portrait**

"Yukina...?"

The girl did not reply, seemingly lost in her thoughts.

"Yukiiina...?" Shizuru tried again, looking worriedly at her.

She still did not reply, staring into the flowers as if it could bring her the solution she wanted...

"YUKINAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-SAANNNNNN!"

THAT woke her up from her thoughts.

"Ah, Kazuma-san! What are you doing here?" said Yukina, putting on a smile on her face.

"I have an off day today," he grinned at her, smiling lopsidedly. She smiled back at him sweetly.

"So you came to visit your sister? I see," she said, stroking the petals of a flower.

"No, I came to see you," he replied. She did not reply, instead, she continued observing the flowers, lost in her own world.

"Ano ... Yu .. Yukina-san ... would you ... would... would you like to have lunch with me...?"

She turned away from him, possibly to conceal a blush.

"...Yukina-san?" said Kuwabara tentatively.

"Of course you can, I'm meeting Oniisan and maybe Kurama-san for lunch. You can come with me."

Shizuru, who had been eavesdropping without shame, almost fell over after hearing Yukina's reply, her eyebrow twitching. But it truly brought to mind one question. Was she avoiding Kazuma's advances or was she just as oblivious as ever? Was it as simple as what it seems?

* * *

Kurama managed to stumble into the kitchen and get a glass of water to wash down the aspirin. He smiled slightly when he saw the little kitten trailing along behind him. He ate the breakfast hungrily; Yukina's cooking was so delicious he felt tempted to suggest to her to open a restaurant of her own.

Which wasn't a bad idea really, since he could work there full time.

After breakfast, which was cold but still extremely good, he sat at the table and stared around, taking in every detail of the house.

_This is where Hiei lives. _

_What kind of secrets does he keep here? _

_Whatever, I should not pry.._

_I need to meet them for lunch ... but I just ate! _

He got up, stretching, ready to leave. It was only when he reached the door that he realized he did not have the keys to Hiei's apartment, which meant he couldn't lock the door. This meant he couldn't leave the place, unless he dearly loved a death wish when the man came home to find his house destroyed by some hooligan or something.

Gloomily, he sat himself down on the sofa and contemplated on what to do.

About ten wasted minutes later (spent on staring on the portrait he had drawn of Hiei and bought by Yukina), he got up in search of the bathroom.

* * *

"Hiei, wanna go for lunch?"

"...Hn."

"Riiiiiiiiiiiight, I'm supposed to understand that. Whatever, I'll call Yukina, she understands Hiei-speak."

Hiei's eyebrow twitched. A nerve pulsed in his temple. Why was everyone trying to get to him through Yukina?

"There will be no need," he snapped at his assistant defensively.

Just then, the phone rang.

"Cool timing! Moshi moshi," said Yusuke cheerfully, deftly slipping the phone out of his boss's reach. He darted away slightly when Hiei growled. "Ah, Yukina-chan! We were just wondering if we should all have lunch together."

Yusuke paused as he listened to the girl at the other end, all the while ignoring Hiei's glare. Sighing, he leant back into his chair, and kicked Yusuke off the desk.

"Right, I'll pass the message." Yusuke hung up and grinned at his boss.

"Hiei, you have to go pick up the hot cutie you left hungover at your house last night," he said, then laughed and hopped away merrily before Hiei could throw something heavy at him.

"Why do you keep calling Kurama hot?" grumbled Hiei. With a groan, he got up from his chair and grabbed his coat and keys to go pick up said hot cutie.

...Not that he thought Kurama was hot. Because such things couldn't possibly come to his mind.

* * *

It was a very big shock to Kurama when the phone in Hiei's apartment rang, and for the second time in that week he wasn't sure if he should pick it up. Deciding that no one should be in the house during this time, he left the phone to ring until it reached the answering machine.

_Click. _

"Kurama-san, it's Yukina. Hiei's coming to fetch you, okay? So don't worry about the keys. Just wait for awhile and then we'll all go for lunch. See you!"

_Well that solved the problem_, thought Kurama. _Now... where is the bathroom...?_

He walked past a room on the right, neatly decorated in calm blue and white, like a big fairyland room. Glancing briefly inside, he spotted a cute picture of Yukina and Hiei with sakura leaves falling around them. Hiei was pointedly looking away from the camera while Yukina was, of course, smiling, with her arm looped around Hiei's.

Kurama tore his eyes away from the photograph and moved on to the next room. The door was closed.

_Possibly Hiei's_, he thought. _I'd better not go in there_.

On his left there was another room, but it was empty and loads of clothing had been dumped onto the bed, along with other random things propped up against the cupboard and on the table, neat enough to be able to walk in but it was still quite cluttered.

And there were no more rooms at the end of the corridor.

_Where on earth is the bathroom?_

Deciding that it was not a good idea to enter a lady's room without permission, he opened the door to what he suspected was Hiei's room.

It was immaculate, decorated with wood and an enormous, comfortable looking bed. The furniture was rich wood, giving off an earthy smell, and the sunlight streamed in through the window onto the bed. It was rather devoid of anything interesting, a few photos on his desk, scattered pens and papers all around, a computer and other things.

The furniture was mostly wood, he noticed, and he wondered why, instead of giving off a warm feeling like wood was supposed to, the room gave off a very cold, distant feeling that gave Kurama the chills.

* * *

"Kurama," called Hiei, as he entered the house. He ignored Oki who head butted him playfully on his ankle, greeting its ever grumpy master.

"Kurama, let's go," he called out again. "Come out – "

He stopped short when he saw that the door to his room was open. Quickly he burst in; startling Kurama who had just came out of the connecting toilet.

"What are you doing in my room?" snapped Hiei angrily.

Kurama pointed wordlessly to the bathroom.

For a moment Hiei was about to shout at him for entering his room, his sacred and private domain, but the redhead didn't know any better, did he?

Kurama lowered his head sheepishly, looking away from the diminutive man. _Shouldn't there be a guest toilet somewhere in this house? It's not my fault!_

Having no witty comeback nor biting remark, Hiei grunted and shoved him out of the room.

* * *

After meeting up at the restaurant, once again the whole group began their joking and laughing, in which Kurama listened half-heartedly and Hiei did not listen at all. Seated in between Yukina and Kurama, he had to endure a lot of teasing by Yusuke and Kuwabara about him bringing Kurama home the previous night.

It also did not help that Kurama blushed very prettily.

Throughout the whole meal, he ignored the redhead beside him. In fact he ignored everyone except Yukina and when Yusuke occasionally went too far in his jokes.

He was slightly surprised, though, when Kurama turned the offer of food down. After some rather complicated gestures only Botan, Keiko and Yukina seemed to understand, they announced that he was too full after eating Yukina's cooking that morning, as he woke up late and had a late breakfast. Then Shizuru started asking the three girls to teach her sign language to communicate with Kurama better, and soon the whole table was learning sign language under Kurama's instruction with a piece of paper and a pen.

Kurama enjoyed himself teaching his friends how to better understand him, but he also wondered whether people like Yusuke or Kuwabara were smart enough to remember them.

He told himself not to get his hopes up.

An entirely different language, similar in ways but vastly different... without heartfelt emotion in voices, where complicated gestures was needed to explain a single word; who was to understand?

No one, it seemed. No one could have that patience.

* * *

Which is why he felt utterly devastated and hopeless when he later reached his place and found, to his dismay, his belongings scattered on the floor at the door and a notice on the wall, notifying him of his reason of eviction.

* * *

**Word Count -** 1469

**Author's note :** I think I described Hiei's house slightly differently in previous chapters. I'm sorry, it's been so long. The house keeps changing in my mind. Lol. Suffice to say that there's no guest toilet, there's Yukina and Hiei's room and another spare room used for storage.

I think I need to explain myself for not updating. Firstly, I was stuck in a chapter where once again things were moving at a creepily slow pace, where I could find nothing to fill in, nothing remotely funny or interesting to slide in between plot lines. It's so hard to think of something meaningful from the time someone wakes up and then they go for lunch or dinner or whatever!!! Argh!!

So I didn't update.

And well, when you run out of routine, you run out of routine.

I don't plan to give up this story, however. The ending is too deliciously planned out. Lol. So keep reading, my faithful readers, and thank you all for your support! Your reviews have really kept me going!


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21! Things are going to progressing a liiittle bit faster, I hope. Sorry to everyone who expects a lot..

MAJOR NOTE: I'm not sure if I've wrote this before, but I realized that Hiei's house, being right at the top of a rich apartment, should naturally need some kind of extra security measure since he's a big shot. Lol. I'm going to make it the type where you have to dial his house number and there's a camera and if Hiei recognizes the visitor he'll press a button and the doors to the lift are unlocked.

**Chapter 21 : Silent Portrait**

"What's taking Kurama so long?" said Shizuru, glancing at the clock. Already half an hour had passed since they left the restaurant and Kurama went home to put away some of his things which Yukina and Hiei had carried along with him the previous night. Yukina looked up from where she was working with her flowers.

"You're right," she said thoughtfully. "I think he's okay, maybe he's cleaning up or something."

"Ne, Yukina, don't you realize? It's only been awhile, but already we've become fast friends. All of us," said Shizuru, exhaling a puff of smoke.

Yukina smiled briefly, but she had to ask.

"Do you consider my brother as your friend?"

Shizuru blinked. She had never exchanged many words with Hiei. Though she was certain that she was not the only one; that words spoken to Hiei bounced back off of him into your face.

She opened her mouth to say this but was interrupted by a very gloomy-looking redhead who entered the shop.

"There you are, Kurama, we've been wondering what's happened ---"

Shizuru's words trailed off when she saw the small luggage Kurama was carrying.

"Kurama... what happened...?"

He thrust a piece of paper into her hands, sinking into a nearby chair.

"Evicted...? _What_?"

Kurama nodded blankly. He was still in a numb shock, that once again he had found himself with no place to stay and nowhere to go.

"Kurama, stay with us tonight," urged Yukina.

Looking into her pleading and tearing eyes, he was sorely tempted to accept the offer, for he was certain Yukina regarded him as a friend. But Hiei...

"Wait a minute..." said Shizuru, interrupting Kurama's line of thought. She narrowed her eyes at the piece of paper she was holding, skimming through its contents. There was something fishy here ...

"Kurama, this is wrong. They can't evict you just like that, it's against the law."

The redhead in question blinked. _So what if it's against the law? I still don't have any place to stay. _

"Why not, Shizuru-san?"

"There should be at least 30 days notice, and if Kurama pays the rent within that time, then the landlord can't do anything to him... Also, if I'm not mistaken, the landlord can't throw out his stuff."

Kurama hadn't really read the notice properly; he took one look at the words NOTICE OF EVICTION and that was enough to shut down his mind. Now, however, he took the letter from Shizuru and proceeded to read carefully.

"Kurama-kun, at least stay with us for one night..." pleaded Yukina again.

"She's right, Kurama, you need a place to stay while you look for other places."

With two women against him, add to that the disadvantage of having no voice to protest, Kurama succumbed to Yukina's teary-eyed look and Shizuru's stern face. And fervently prayed he would survive the wrath of one Jaganshi Hiei.

* * *

Kurama paced about in the lift, nervous. True, it was not the first time he had entered Hiei's apartment, nor was it the first time he had stayed overnight, but he was still nervous. And he was pretty sure it had something to do with those darn feelings of his.

"Don't worry, Kurama-kun," said Yukina gently, as if sensing his inner turmoil. "If Oniisan gets angry, he'll have to face me."

Kurama doubted very much that Yukina could match her brother's anger, then reminded himself that she was his beloved sister and would do anything for her.

It did not appease his feelings one bit; for the two closely-knitted siblings to argue over him would make the situation much, much worse.

The lift came to a halt, and Kurama cringed. He made up his mind then. If Hiei showed displeasure, he would leave and find a temporary room elsewhere. _Maybe Yusuke might be willing to take me in. Or Kuwabara. If all else fails, go home, right?_

_...Home. _

He fought back the bitterness in him at the very thought.

"Oniisan!" Yukina called as she entered the house, slipping off her shoes. Her voice jolted Kurama back into reality, into the present, and he stood at the door of the house, uncertain if he should go in or not.

"Kurama-kun, don't worry, just come in," she said softly, putting her bag down on the table.

"Okaeri nasai, Yukina," said Hiei as he came out from his room. He stopped short in his tracks when he caught sight of the redhead at the door.

"Kurama? What are you doing here?" he asked, puzzled. Kurama winced and took a small step backwards. The only consolation Kurama gave himself was that Hiei wasn't angry or irritated. Yet. He bit his lip worriedly and looked at Yukina.

"Oniisan... Kurama-kun... he got evicted."

"Evicted?" repeated Hiei, his eyes narrowing and glancing over to where Kurama stood as still as a rabbit.

"That doesn't explain what he's doing here," said Hiei slowly, and the look on her face told him exactly what was coming.

"He... can he stay here for awhile? Until he gets some money to rent out another place," said Yukina tentatively. Inside Kurama's mind, he was berating himself for accepting Yukina's offer in the first place.

It was a very long silence that came upon the house Kurama and Yukina waited for the approval. Hiei busied himself by pouring himself a cold beer, his mind going through a very complicated series of jumbled up emotions.

He made his way to his own room, but not before answering to the wall: "...Do whatever you like."

Yukina breathed a sigh of relief.

Kurama did not know what was there to be relieved about. Here he was, standing in the house of a person he might have some feelings for, and he wasn't feeling welcome at all.

"Come on, Kurama-kun. We have an empty room, I'll just clean it out a bit," said Yukina cheerfully, tugging his sleeve toward the hallway.

He grabbed her by the sleeve and shook his head, gesturing to himself.

"You want to do the cleaning?"

He shook his head again.

"There's no need to clean?"

He nodded.

She gave him a sweet smile. "Nonsense. The room is so dusty, it has to be cleaned up at least a little. Now put your things there, and I'll get a mop and some bedsheets."

There was no use fighting the demure little woman, thought Kurama absently as he dumped his things on the mattress. He cleared the assorted mess and junk on the bed and around the room, doing his best not to touch anything he deemed slightly personal.

When Yukina came back with a mop, he gently pried it away from her hands despite her protests and cleaned the room up by himself. Yukina frowned, and set to work with the bedsheets.

So busy were they that they didn't realize Hiei was watching them.

_

* * *

Is it so hard to just... go in there and help a bit? _

_Why did I let him in? _

_Is it so hard to help a friend? _

_Kurama's not my friend. _

_Liar. _

Mentally aware that he just called himself a liar, he stepped into the room, clearing his throat slightly.

"Oniisan! What is it? Do you need anything?"

Yukina, thought Kurama, really needed to stop being so polite to her brother.

"I.. just came to see what you were doing."

"We're just cleaning up. This room looks like it hasn't been cleaned for ages!"

"You cleaned it last week," said Hiei, puzzled.

"Well, I started going to Shizuru's, remember? I haven't had time to clean this room."

Hiei watched in silence as they finished up the last of the cleaning. Kurama's heart was hammering furiously against his chest, but on the outside he looked calm as ever, if not a bit worried as he kept searching Hiei's face for any sign of disapproval.

"Oh, Oniisan. Kurama has to share a bathroom with you. You don't mind, do you?"

Hiei would have loved to hiss a vehement 'NO' but then he would have to share a bathroom with Yukina and _he did not want that at all. _

"I suppose."

"You must be wondering why we don't have a guest bathroom, right Kurama-kun?"

Kurama gave a faint smile to Yukina and nodded. He remembered searching for it just a few hours ago.

"We don't have many guests, so Oniisan renovated it slightly. The guest toilet is actually Oniisan's, they just broke down a bit of the wall and changed the door."

Kurama nodded understandingly.

"Why don't you freshen up, Kurama-kun, I'll go and make dinner," said Yukina happily, taking the mop from his hands and leaving the room.

The tension seeped in quickly as soon as she disappeared. Kurama took care to avoid his eyes.

"I think I'm fine with you staying here," said Hiei. "I don't think I need to warn you that if you do anything to Yukina, you will pay."

It was said as casually as Hiei could sound, and Kurama forced himself not to wince at the not-warning. He nodded and gave him what he thought was a reassuring smile.

To Hiei, however, it was a rather disarming smile, and made him think about ... things he did not want to think.

He shook his head and left Kurama to unpack what little belongings he had.

* * *

Dinner was not so much of a subdued affair, but it made Yukina very excited to have a 'guest' staying with them for awhile. It didn't matter to her that her guest could not talk, on the contrary she kept the chatter going so as to not let the silence get to them. Silence, she'd discovered over the years, made her want to break it so badly. And to her twin, silence was absolutely golden. To Kurama, silence was ... life.

Or was it?

He enjoyed listening to her talk to Hiei, who also listened and gave his opinions on the matter sometimes, but most of the time Yukina did the talking. At one point Yukina asked Kurama to sign something so that she could test her knowledge on sign language. Sure, spelling out words letter by letter seemed a very taxing way to talk, but for now it was the best they could do. So he signed, "Thank you for dinner," which was the polite thing to do.

She laughed and said, "You're welcome!"

Then, she turned to Hiei and said, "Now it's your turn! I'm sure you know some sign language too. You're a very fast learner, after all."

Hiei did not reply. His eyes remained fixed on Kurama's own.

Gulping, he signed, "Thank you for letting me stay," which was longer and possibly harder to read but he could not think of anything else to say. Neither could he break his eyes away from Hiei's.

Hiei's gaze never wavered, even as he replied softly, "You're welcome."

* * *

Later that night, after Kurama had used Hiei's bathroom in record time, he tossed and turned in a fitful sleep. No doubt he was still uncomfortable with staying in the house. Yukina slipped into Hiei's room quietly.

"Oniisan?"

Hiei gave a grunt in reply, focused on the paperwork in front of him, tapping his pen on the table.

"Are you mad at me?"

"When have I ever been?"

"I thought you were mad at me for bringing Kurama back."

"I am, but only a little bit."

"Then..."

"I let him stay because of you."

What happened next would forever shock Hiei everytime he looked back on it. He'd never heard his sister sound like that before. Ever.

"So you let him stay because of me? He's a friend and you don't want to help him?" said Yukina, her voice suddenly cold. Hiei tensed up, turning to look at her.

"He is a friend. I've just... never been close to anyone but you."

"Don't you think that's bad?"

"...No?"

Yukina sighed.

"You do not symphatize with him?"

"If I were him, I would not want sympathy," said Hiei flatly, turning back to look at his paperwork.

He felt Yukina's presence move away.

"You don't know what it's like, Oniisan. To feel helpless."

With that, she closed his bedroom door, leaving him with his thoughts. Determined to ignore the exchange between him and his sister, and the sudden melancholy he felt, his mind looked around for something to distract him.

A familiar, very faint scent hung around the room, but Hiei couldn't tell what it was.

* * *

Word Count - 2071 (w00t)

Author's note : I debated long and hard whether Hiei should allow Kurama to stay without objection, or draw out a sibling argument. And the end result is this, which is somewhere in between so that the chapters don't go up to a hundred. xD Don't worry if you think Yukina is slightly OOC for standing up to her brother, I think so too :/ Oh well. She's as stubborn as him at any rate, cept she does it mostly for the right reasons xD

Oh, and for those who don't know, OKAERI NASAI means WELCOME HOME, I think. It sounds very odd, doesn't it, when we non-japanese say it. We just say hi, or wave like a madman. Lol. Oh well. I'll try not to use so many Japanese words, I know how annoying it can be. (edit: SORRY! All the anime I've watched, and I managed to confuse tadaima and okaeri nasai... it's been changed, thanks to all who've pointed it out...)

Is the word "signed" correctly used? I didn't want to write "he moved his hands, "thank you for dinner"" LOL.

With that done, thank you for reading! Review please! The end is still far, far away!!! (And seems farther if I continue to update like this ... sigh... maybe I do need a beta reader)


	22. Chapter 22

Peoplez!! My oneshot companion sidefic to Silent Portrait, is in need of some _loveee_! It's called **Silent Portrait: The Artist's Hands, **and it's set after the events of Silent Portrait, like after Kurama and Hiei become a couple. Please read it! (just click on my profile and you'll see it under my list of stories)

I'm sorry for the lack of update, I've been distracted by my brand new PSP and occupying myself with Final Fantasy, Crisis Core... And burying myself in dozens of ZackAlive! fanfics ... I finished the game yesterday, and was crying for an hour or so, for those who know what I'm talking about ...

**Silent Portrait : Chapter 22 **

Kurama was not known for being a stupid person.

In fact, he was known for _not _being a stupid person.

He just didn't _do_, you know, _stupid _things (skipping meals excluded, thank you very much).

So when he woke up that morning, cheery as ever after a week spent in the Jaganshi's abode, ready to face the world and the day ahead, he strolled into Hiei's bathroom for a quick shower (Hiei had already finished washing up and was wolfing down his breakfast at the table) he spent ten minutes cleaning himself up before he realized he hadn't brought in any of his clothes to change. Which was a very stupid thing indeed.

Not being able to shout for help (embarrassing though it may have been), he had only one option left.

And the consequence of this option led him to walk right smack into the object of his continually-denied desires, jaw agape and eyes open wide.

Keeping a calm exterior, Kurama nodded at him and retreated courteously to his room as quickly as possible.

_Honestly. There was no need to look like that, _thought Kurama, frowning as he changed.

_

* * *

_

Fuck dear lord,

thought Hiei, frozen to the spot.

_Kurama in a towel. Kurama, wet, in a towel. Kurama, wet, ONLY in a towel. _

_Oh dear lord. _

* * *

There was still a light blush on Kurama's face by the time he walked out of the guestroom and sat down to have breakfast.

"Oniichan! Your face is so pale! Are you alright?"

"M'fine, Yukina," said Hiei uneasily, shifting around in his seat.

"Kurama-san, your face is so red! Are you alright?"

Kurama nodded to her, silently wishing she didn't sound so much like a parrot. And if Yusuke were here, he'd probably be lewd enough to make the connections. And turn it all into a horrible misunderstanding... suddenly he thanked the heavens for Yukina's _denseness_.

"When are you going to move out, Kurama?" asked Hiei. Kurama stiffened visibly, caught unawares by the sudden question.

"Oniichan! Stop making it sound like you want him out of here! How about never, Kurama?"

"..."

"Finish your breakfast, Kurama," snapped Hiei, making the redhead jump, "And let's go. I'm late."

* * *

Kurama thought that the day was looking alright, really, but it seemed to be almost as dismal as the days prior. The sun was shining, spring was coming, snow was melting, birds were chirping ... Kuwabara seemed to be actually getting somewhere with Yukina ... and no one bought his paintings.

"Mommy, mommy, look, paintings!" cried a little girl, venturing bravely into the shop, dragging her mother by the hand. A man, presumably the father, trailed along absently, talking on the phone. Kurama looked up, giving both of them a smile.

"Honey, you don't need to buy paintings," said the woman, frowning. "I'll buy you some crayons and you can draw your own."

"But mommy, this one's are nicer! I can't draw like that."

"Honey -"

"Is that what you call paintings?" said the girl's father, snapping his phone shut. "Honey, these aren't paintings. What _you_ draw," he said, tapping his favourite little girl on the nose, making her giggle, "are definitely paintings. I won't buy paintings from anyone except you, darling."

They left the shop, laughing gaily as the little girl promised to paint something really nice for them to frame up, not even turning to look back.

"Kurama-kun," said Yukina, biting her lip.

Kurama didn't acknowledge her. He stared at the painting he was about to finish; it was a pretty painting of a festival, with families about and loads of mini-stalls selling various food items. It glowed with the dark night and orange light emitting from the painted lamps. It was almost finished.

"Come on, Kurama, your market range is definitely not targeted at kids," said Shizuru reasonably. "Don't worry about them."

With a frustrated cry tearing out from his lips, he dipped his paintbrush furiously in white paint and scrawled the words, "I'll be back," on the beautiful painting. Throwing aside the brush, he stood up and stormed out of the shop.

"Kurama -"

"Don't, Yukina. He's upset. Let him be for awhile..."

Sadly, Yukina picked up the ruined painting, careful not to get paint on her clothes.

"He drew this so nicely, too."

"I know, Yukina," said Shizuru, sighing as she peered at the painting closely.

"What about lunch? Won't he come with us?"

"We'll just buy something back for him. Come on, let's close the shop. He'll be alright once he cools his head off."

Yukina just nodded in agreement and they closed the shop, putting out the "Out to Lunch" sign. They went out to have their lunch with Hiei and Yusuke, something which had been occurring almost daily. Not that Yukina minded at all; she'd noticed that Hiei seemed to be getting more comfortable and less irritable around their company.

"Where's Kurama?" asked Hiei sharply once they met up in the restaurant.

"He's... not here."

"Evidently," said Hiei, giving Shizuru a deadpan look. "What I meant was where _is_ he."

"Oh? And why do you care so much?" challenged Shizuru.

"Shizuru-san! Stop it," admonished Yukina. "Something happened... and he got angry, I think."

"Really? What happened?" asked Keiko, surprised. She couldn't picture Kurama as an angry person. He was so quiet and polite; it was hard to imagine him in a bad mood.

"Well... a little girl came in and wanted to buy his paintings, but her parents said some stuff and in the end they didn't and then he left."

"Yeah... he ruined his painting too. Wrote "I'll be back" in white paint over one of his almost-finished paintings."

"It's hard being an artist, ne?"

"Yeah... but I don't see why he's angry just because of that. He shouldn't have expected a little girl to buy his paintings," said Shizuru thoughtfully. Their drinks came and they sipped slowly at them while waiting for their food to arrive.

"Hey ... how many paintings has he sold, do you know?" asked Yusuke. "I mean, he keeps painting and painting and painting, like, where does he keep all the excess?"

"In his room," said Yukina. "There are a lot of them, I've seen them."

"Poor people can't afford paintings. Even at the price Kurama's set."

"That's true. Most houses don't have any nice paintings because they don't need them."

"So you're saying Kurama needs rich buyers? Heh, Hiei, why don't you buy some of them?" said Yusuke, elbowing his employer in the ribs. Hiei scowled and pushed him away none too gently.

"Firstly he wouldn't take the money," said Hiei. "Secondly, I have no need of paintings. And thirdly," he added, taking a huge gulp from his drink. "If he really wants to earn money that bad, painting is no way to go. I don't know how smart he is, but surely he can read and write. There are other steady paying jobs out there."

They all blinked at him, eyes wide.

"Hiei, you'll never understand."

The man in question raised an eyebrow.

"Then make me under -"

"But maybe he's tried to get jobs before," said Keiko, cutting in rudely. "Maybe a lot of the companies didn't want him just because he's mute."

"Yeah," agreed Yusuke, tapping his chin. "Discriminating bastards," he added, in disgust.

"But can you deny he's talented?"

"Nope."

"No."

"Are you kidding?"

"His paintings are beautiful!"

"Yeah, exactly!"

"So how do we help?" said Keiko thoughtfully, chewing on her food. They ate in silence as they mulled over it.

"He just needs a good backer, that's all."

"Or a better job where he can meet rich people...

"Who'd be interested in fancy paintings for their fancy homes..."

"And meet potential clients and all that..."

Hiei, who'd been paying more attention to his food ever since he'd been rudely cut off, suddenly felt chills up and down his spine. He looked up ... and everyone was staring at him.

"That's it, Hiei!" cried Yusuke, thumping Hiei's back enthusiastically. Hiei coughed and choked. He shoved Yusuke away violently, giving everyone a WTF expression.

"You have to give Kurama a job!"

"Yeah, remember how you said you were looking for another personal assistant?"

"That was ages ago, Yusuke."

"Yeah but you still brought it up."

"Hire him, Hiei!"

"Do it, boss!"

"Please, Oniichan, you have to help him!"

"ALL OF YOU SHUT UP!" roared Hiei. They stared at him, shocked by his outburst. The other patrons of the restaurant immediately stopped talking and turned to look at the commotion.

"Just... shut up, and let me think and eat in peace," grumbled Hiei.

* * *

OMg. I finally got this done. -wipes sweat-

Remember in the second/third chapter (I don't remember which) Hiei said he needed another personal assistant or something? Yeah.

Lol.

Soooooooooooo.

Even if you don't review this chapter (it's a bit sucky, I know), PLEASE review the sidefic to this story, Silent Portrait : The Artist's Hands! PLEASE!! Lol. Plus it should give you guys a taste of what's to come in this fic. Lol.


	23. Chapter 23

Thank you for **The Artist's Hands** love!! xD

University is starting soon and I'm nervous and excited. Updates will be slow, I think, because of that. I'll try my best.

On another happier note, 400 over reviews? -sniff- I'm so happy ...

**Silent Portrait : Chapter 23**

When Kurama came back to the shop, it was to face an unhappy Hiei and an uneasy Yukina. Shizuru was nowhere to be seen; Kurama assumed she had left for the night. The lights were off and with the sun long gone beyond the horizon the shop looked dreary and dull.

"Nice of you to make us worry," said Hiei blandly. Kurama looked taken aback but did not react further. It was selfish of him, of course, to leave so suddenly and in such a show of _emotion_...

"Are you feeling better, Kurama-kun?" asked Yukina, going over to him and patting his arm awkwardly.

Kurama scanned the shop - with all its flowers and the till where Shizuru sat at and the inconspicuous back door to where the stock was ... and his paintings, his ruined painting at the corner of the shop with hastily set up displays and brushes scattered with flecks of paint everywhere - and he nodded, swallowing down the sudden lump in his throat at the lie.

"Let's go home," she said softly. She locked up the shop with Kurama's help and for the first time, Kurama did not pack his things up to bring back to the Jaganshi residence. He was out of inspiration and he was tired.

They walked home in uncomfortable silence.

After a quick shower (in which Kurama had to wait while Hiei showered first) dinner was already on the table and Yukina was not so subtly nudging Hiei and urging him to do – something. Hiei gave a muffled groan.

"Kurama."

Kurama, who had been idly pushing his rice around the bowl with his chopsticks, looked up.

"Consider the idea of working for me."

The chopsticks fell to the table.

His jaw was set and there was an unbidden glare in his eyes.

There was no mistake: Kurama was offended and he was upset.

"Swallow your pride for once!" snarled Hiei, standing up. "You're not getting anywhere with those paintings. Face it, only people with money spend it on art; others barely even know how to appreciate it. And people who walk into Shizuru's flower shop? Those aren't the kind of people who would spend their money on paintings."

Kurama was scowling, his hands trembling. Yukina was on the verge of tears.

"You –" Hiei bit out, trying to keep his temper in check. "– need to make some money to support yourself first and find rich clients and then get your works included in proper art exhibitions. And while working for me, I assure you it is the easiest way."

There was silence as Hiei sat back down at the table, nostrils flaring. He calmed somewhat when Yukina started to speak.

"Kurama-kun, we are not doing this out of pity," she said, noting that Kurama flinched visibly at the word 'pity', "But it is true. Hiei has many rich customers and business partners; those are the people who would buy your paintings. Your art deserves more than what it is currently selling for right now. You just need to be ... _discovered_."

He glanced at the portrait she had bought from him, hanging behind Hiei against the wall, and Kurama thought, _it seemed such a long time ago when I first met this man. _The setting sun and the untidy desk with scattered books and the metal frame of the window and his portrayal of the multimillionaire looking out the window; lost in the thought of what it would be like to have no worries.

His eyes moved back to the object of his gradual affection.

Hiei was staring back at him with the intensity of a thousand suns, as if daring him to disagree.

Kurama nodded, and found the tension seeping out of his chest.

* * *

Kurama started his job the very next day, with Hiei calling to inform Shizuru that Kurama would no longer be working at the shop. He followed Hiei to the office and received his instructions, but otherwise he had nothing to worry about as Yusuke was the one supervising him.

Yusuke's supervision was, of course, something less like supervision and more like clueless blundering.

Keiko and Botan helped a lot, and his job mostly consisted of paperwork and filing and sorting out, which was something quite bland to be doing but nevertheless granted a steady income. This new job, unfortunately, put Kurama in a position where he could see Hiei all day long. He found himself happy and disappointed whenever his eyes met Hiei's.

He found himself wishing for more. And kicking himself for the thought.

Although all of them worked in the same large office, Kurama wasn't introduced to the rest of Hiei's employees outside of the room. A few of the other employees were no doubt in envy of him as he had been employed straight into Hiei's office and not like the rest of them who were out of the circle. They also wondered who he was and how he was connected to Hiei.

Other than the original circle of friends, Kurama did not interact with any of the office staff. It soon turned out to be a very big mistake.

"Too much paperwork, too much! There has to be a paperwork god somewhere we can worship," groaned Yusuke, massaging his neck and back. Hiei snorted at his remark.

"I have a meeting. I won't join Yukina for lunch, Keiko, please inform her of that," said Hiei briskly, and he left for the meeting room adjacent to his office.

"Spring's coming soon! We should go on a vacation," said Botan, looking up from her desk. "Argh, my stomach hurts," she added, frowning.

"It's lunchtime... shall we go out or eat in?" said Yusuke, completely changing the subject.

Kurama looked at the clock. It was indeed lunchtime, and most of the other employees on the same floor had already left for their lunch break.

"Let's go buy takeout..."

"Why don't we just call?"

"No, I need a walk," said Yusuke, standing up. Obscene cricks and cracks and pops sounded as he stretched. Kurama looked faintly disgusted. "We need to finish this off quickly but I need a walk, so let's just go buy takeout. What do you want, Kurama?"

'_Anything_,' Kurama signed to him, and he shrugged and loped out with Keiko after Botan had decided what she wanted to eat. In the space of a week, the gang's basic sign language had improved considerably, which made Kurama's spirits lighter.

"Restroom," Botan breathed out, clutching her stomach as she made a dash to the toilet. Kurama was left alone in Hiei's office, suddenly feeling quite small.

The phone on Keiko's desk rang.

Out of pure nerves Kurama almost answered it, but held back. It continued to ring ominously, and Kurama felt himself panicking. Calls were usually screened before being put through to Keiko or Botan or Yusuke, who screened them and then connected the person to Hiei if it was important. Most of the time Keiko or Botan handled things like client meetings and appointments because Hiei never talked to anyone unless it was really important. He did stress, however, that calls were to be picked up and not ignored, no matter how busy you are.

Kurama quickly searched for someone else to help answer the phone.

There were only two girls left in the office; both were on the phone but only one looked like she was talking to a customer. The other seemed to be on the phone with a friend, judging by the way she wasn't talking in a professional manner.

Kurama tapped the girl on her shoulder.

"– Hold on –" she whispered into her phone, "Yes? What do you want?"

He spotted a piece of paper and tried to write down what he wanted to say but she snatched the paper back immediately.

"Hey! Don't touch my things without my permission!" she said, eyes narrowing. Kurama gaped at her. It was only a piece of paper. Shaking his head, he pointed in the direction of Hiei's office and then pointed to the phone on the desk.

"Look, what are you trying to do? Mr Jaganshi is in a meeting; surely I can talk to my friends for awhile then? Are you going to tell on me or something?" she snapped, obviously misinterpreting Kurama's gestures.

Kurama shook his head.

"Then go away, dammit, you're interrupting my lunch break!"

"What's going on?" came Botan's sharp voice. She stepped out of the restroom, quickly hurrying over to where he stood.

"What are you, mute?" the girl snapped again, huffing. Botan glared at her.

"Yes, he is."

"That doesn't mean he can just do anything he likes," she said defensively. "Disabled people always think that because of their disabilities they have to have the world bow down before them."

Botan slapped her then.

Hiei, who had come out of the meeting room to retrieve some document he had misplaced, saw her doing it. He approached them, with the document in hand, and glared at all of them.

He didn't even need to say anything. His whole demeanour demanded that the situation be explained right away.

"I was in the restroom. I came out and saw her yelling at him," said Botan.

"I wasn't yelling! He can't talk and I don't know what he wanted to tell me!"

"Well?" said Hiei, turning to Kurama.

Taking the paper on the girl's desk - who tried to protest again but was silenced by Hiei's stare - he wrote, _'The phone was ringing and no one was in the office except me. I tried to get her to answer it.'_

"Oh, I'm sorry, Kurama-kun," cried Botan, wringing her hands. "I had a stomachache ... so stupid of me, how could I just leave you alone like that - "

Kurama put up his hands and smiled, reassuring her that it wasn't her fault.

"So, why didn't you answer it, then?" asked Hiei.

"I didn't know what he was trying to tell me," the girl said crossly.

_'I tried to write it down for her, but she said I shouldn't touch her things without permission.' _Kurama quickly scribbled out.

"And this is why you slapped her?" Hiei rounded on Botan.

"No," Botan said angrily, "She asked, very rudely, if Kurama was a mute. I heard it as I came out and I told her that he was."

"And?"

"She said, and I quote, 'That doesn't mean he can just do anything he likes. Disabled people always think that because of their disabilities they have to have the world bow down before them'," said Botan, glaring at her again.

"I see," said Hiei. Turning to the girl, he spoke lowly, but with some anger seeping into his calm tone, "You should watch what you say in public. Biased opinions don't do well here in this corporation."

He turned on his heel and left for the meeting room again.

Botan guided Kurama back to the office, attempting to make the atmosphere light again. The girl would no doubt hold a grudge, but it was nothing Hiei couldn't handle.

Botan tried her best to cheer Kurama up, who seemed quite down, but in actuality Kurama was gloating in his head triumphantly about the fact that Hiei had stood up for him.

Lunch was a noisy affair with Hiei poking his head in to yell at them to shut up.

The days seemed to be looking better.

"Botan's right, we should really go on that vacation," said Keiko, stretching as she stared out the window. Hiei came out of the meeting room and saw his clients out the door.

"How about it, Hiei?" said Yusuke excitedly as Hiei entered his office again. "It's the Hanabi festival soon. What do you think of a vacation?"

Hiei was tempted to say no.

But he caught the look on Kurama's face; excitement mixed with nostalgia and a hint of longing. It took awhile to realize that Kurama was looking at him.

"Sure," he said, surprising the heck out of everyone.

There was silence for long moment and then Keiko and Botan burst into excited chatter and planning of said vacation. Yusuke joined in the noise, and soon Hiei was able to distract himself from the din by focusing on Kurama's calm and happy expression.

_Yeah... perhaps a vacation would be good._

* * *

Hiei has a big office of his own, where Botan and Yusuke and Keiko and Kurama are stationed. The rest of the employees of the floor are outside of this office in partitions and cubicles of their own. It's a bit unusual, I know.

So. Next up , the vacation! Will it be a love confession this time? -gasps-

Heh.

Hanabi festival is spring I think. Sakura blossoms and all that. Lol.

Review? :)


	24. Chapter 24

In Canada now! Frosh week! I think I'll enjoy life as a student here. Lol. The flight was an accumulates 21 hours, god, I hate time and distance...

**Guess what, this story has passed 100 faves!! WOOHOO!! **

Yet, there's only about 20 or so people reviewing. Please, if you like this story, please let me know. I know some people have difficulty leaving reviews because they don't know what else to say other than that's nice, keep it up, I love it, but trust me, I do appreciate any and every review I can get. :)

Oh yeah, one more thing. It's kinda late to be saying this, but, if you come across different spellings in a chapter, like BEHAVIOR and BEHAVIOUR, it's not a spelling error and not because I can't make up my mind, but because my brain decides sometimes when it likes american spelling and british spelling. I study in Malaysia so we use British spelling, but then I did my pre-university in Canada and they follow American spelling or sometimes don't care so that's the result you end up with now. Lol.

So ignore it xD

**Oh, it seems I have attracted some new readers! IF you are new, check out the side story to this story in my profile. :)**

**Silent Portrait: Chapter 24 **

"A vacation?" repeated Yukina in surprise. She turned to look at Hiei and Kurama, both of whom were clearing the dishes and bringing them in to the kitchen for her to wash.

"Yeah, Keiko and Botan suggested it."

"Ah, that would be nice," she said, smiling. "But to where?"

"I don't know. I told her to plan it. We'll be going, of course, the six of us," said Hiei absently, as he placed the dishes into the sink. Kurama did the same...

"I see. But what - "

She paused. The oddest look had just flitted across her brother's face and on Kurama's as their hands brushed each other accidentally.

"But what?" asked Hiei, determinedly trying to keep his voice casual.

"I - I forgot what I wanted to say, isn't that weird?" said Yukina, laughing lightly.

The dinner continued on in relative peace; Yukina frowning as she tried to decipher the thoughts in her mind.

No, that couldn't be right -- her brother had enough difficulty being attracted to people, much less fall in love with them -- the idea that he had feelings for Kurama was kind of not really believable.

_But then again ... things happen, right? People fall in love all the time, _she thought, biting her lip as she observed their behavior.

_Some people fall in love whether they like it or not. _

* * *

The vacation was decided to be at Kasai's Rinkai Park in the Edogawa prefecture, as everyone would be busy celebrating the spring under the sakura trees, the place wouldn't be as packed normally. They drove to the Ryougoku station and bought tickets for the ferry. Normally Hiei would have preferred travelling by more expensive means but Keiko insisted that the boat ride was part of the fun.

Much to Hiei's displeasure, Kuwabara and Shizuru were invited along for the vacation. He could partially consider Shizuru as a good person, as she does take care and watch out for Yukina in a way, but he didn't like her brother at all.

Watching them closely, he saw Kuwabara turning a bright red as his hand brushed Yukina's.

Hiei growled. No, he definitely didn't like --

Kurama, who had been walking beside him, accidentally brushed his arm as he clung to the railing on his other side, caught off guard by the sudden departure of the ferry.

Hiei's cheeks took on a slightly red tinge. Scowling at the lack of control of his emotions, he stalked off to a corner of the ferry to stew.

Sighing, Kurama looked up at the clouds as he leaned against the railing. The breeze was cool and gentle against his face, stray red locks billowing as the wind teased his face. He stole a glance at Hiei out of the corner of his eye; the black-haired man looked pissed about something.

"What are you looking at, Kurama-kun?"

Kurama jumped as he turned around, coming face to face with the sweet voice of the gentle Yukina.

"It is such a nice view, isn't it?"

Kurama frowned. Something about that sentence was suspiciously weird -

"Did you know that there are many bridges on this river?"

Kurama tilted his head a little, staring down at her, before shaking his head. Yukina made him feel awkward in many ways - Keiko and Botan would chatter along and fill up his silence with more than double their share of words - but Yukina was not the talkative type and he found the silence to be awkward at times.

She turned to look at him, her gaze never wavering.

"My brother and I - " she said, suddenly switching the topic, "We do not like boats…"

'_Why_?' Kurama signed, glancing over to Hiei.

"It is a mutual dislike - and a bit of fear. Maybe it's because we're twins, but ... it is an incident forever engraved in our memories. Oniisan does not like admitting he has fears... but he will be in a bad mood for the rest of the day, I'm afraid," said Yukina, sighing. "We don't want to disappoint them by not going for the boat ride - and so we are here now."

Kurama looked over to where Keiko was persuading Yusuke to hold her Titanic-style, who complied grudgingly, and to the rest of them who were enjoying the breeze and peering over the railing in excitement. .

Hiei suddenly stalked off into the inside of the ferry, taking refuge in the private room. Kurama, startled by the sudden burst of anger, moved to go after him.

"Please," said Yukina, grabbing hold of his sleeve, making him jerk back, "Please take care of him."

He didn't know exactly what she meant - or maybe he did... but could she really have seen through his feelings? Or perhaps because he's the only one Hiei's never been angry at?

He lost the mood to go after Hiei. The momentum had died; whisked away by the confusion whirring around in his mind.

_Why did the twins dislike being on boats...?_

* * *

"Is this really the biggest park in Tokyo?"

"Actually, I think it's only the second."

"Riiight, _only _the _second_."

The wind blew in their faces as they stood at the entrance of the park. It was early in the morning still, and there were only a few people around. The park was wide and lush, green like spring would always be, with a peaceful sort of air blanketing it. Towering over the park majestically was a huge ferris wheel, rotating calmly and slowly.

"Let's go on the ferris wheel first," suggested Shizuru, flipping through the brochures they obtained on the ferry.

The ferris wheel was really, really large. They bought tickets each - 700 yen admission - but it was restricted to a maximum of four people per car.

Keiko screamed as she was suddenly grabbed around the waist and thrown gently into the open car by Yusuke, cackling evilly as he did so. He stopped cackling, however, when Keiko's reaction was to deliver a full, tight, slap right on to his face. Laughing, Shizuru and Botan queued up for the next one.

"Kazuma-kun, let's ride together," said Yukina somewhat boldly. There was no mistaking the light blush on her cheeks as she said it, and Kurama saw Hiei's knuckles tightening visibly.

"Don't you want to ride with your brother?" he asked, staring between the two siblings.

Yukina did not answer. Shizuru and Botan's door closed, and Kuwabara got on the next one, graciously holding out a hand to Yukina, who took it with a smile. They moved on higher. She tore her gaze away from her the betrayed look on her brother's face.

Hiei would have to handle it. She was not going to be sheltered forever.

Gently pulling the other man by his sleeve, Kurama guided him into the next car, feeling uncharacteristically nervous. There was an odd lump in his throat, almost painful, as he stared at the side of the Hiei's face. Hiei was looking determinedly out of the window, as if not willing to acknowledge that there was another person in the car with him.

It was almost as if he was … afraid.

Could it be that Hiei was afraid of heights as well?

Gulping, he slid over to the seat next to Hiei's, earning a startled glance from the man. He signed slowly, _'I'm going to close your eyes, and when I do, I want you to relax…'_

Hiei frowned at him, wondering how to respond without seeming too rude, but Kurama's hands suddenly covered his eyes. He could faintly see through the gaps of his fingers; but Hiei exhaled deeply and closed his eyes.

It was silent – as it has always been between them, and Hiei found himself almost nodding off to sleep. Kurama's palm was soft against his eyes, making him relax. His shoulders were slack and his breathing was deep and even.

Then suddenly the pressure on his face was gone and Hiei opened his eyes, blinking.

They were about to ascend to the very top. Hiei looked out in shock and amazement; the view was simply spectacular. He stared out, gripping the seat tightly when the ferris wheel moved up notch by notch.

Suddenly remembering Kurama, he turned around in his seat to find the red-haired man smiling gently at him, pointing to the outside window. The corners of Hiei's mouth quirked up a bit, and he returned to appreciating the vast scenery as seen from the very top of the wheel.

When he turned around later, he found a very, very nervous Kurama.

"What's wrong?" he asked, peering into his anxious face.

There must have been a reason Yukina said what she said – she must have realized something Kurama had realized too – that Hiei actually smiled in Kurama's presence, that he was never scolded or blamed or even looked down upon in disdain by the multimillionaire. He could calm Hiei by the lightest of touches, yet unnerve him at the same time.

Somewhere in that stone heart people claimed he had, there was a soft spot there for Kurama.

Kurama took a deep breath. He held his right pinky finger up, and brought it close to his chest, his gaze never wavering from Hiei's. It was a chance he could take, now that they were both alone.

"I?" said Hiei, eyebrow furrowing.

Nodding, Kurama crossed both his arms across his chest, hugging himself tightly.

Hiei did not speak.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Kurama finished off his confession by opening his palm towards Hiei with a shaky hand.

The silence was overwhelming. It was the typical scene one would see in a romance novel, in a romance movie – and Kurama was thinking of how clichéd everything was.

Kurama scooted closer, trying to grasp Hiei's hand to hold in pleading comfort.

He really didn't expect Hiei to push him away.

* * *

-smirk-

There would be a confession, but that doesn't mean they'll get together yet. xDDDDD

I am teh evilz. xDDD

If there are very wordy and too much description paragraphs, I apologize. Trying to inject some kind of things other than "he looked at him and blushed" and stuff. Working on narrative. Lol.

Right!

So, please review, everyone!

- phew, twenty four chapters in and now only they're confessing? Good God, I think I should revamp this fic when I am done -.-


	25. Chapter 25

Dear all, my deepest apologies for the lateness of this chapter. This chapter just would not write itself, and I have spent countless times staring at the document and wondering what to do with it. Many a time I considered going on a hiatus --- but I have noticed that authors who do go on hiatus generally never update again.

I had to reread everything I ever wrote; reread every review for this story to give me the inspiration and drive to write so as to not disappoint.

And I plowed through this --- this fails as a good chapter after such a long period of time, but I have begun writing again: I hope that is good enough news.

Confession: the reason why I haven't been updating is because I have a boyfriend and we've been spending a lot of time together. xD -blush- We've been together for a two months and a half now.

**Silent Portrait: Chapter 25**

Days passed ever since that fated vacation. No one noticed anything odd between Hiei and Kurama. No one noticed that Kurama's smile had a sadder tinge to it -- no one noticed that he buried himself in work and stopped painting. No one noticed except Hiei, and he was trying determinedly not to care.

Hiei didn't like feeling guilty, but it was eating away his insides, growing like an infection spreading throughout his body. He felt it every time he saw Kurama, felt it every time Kurama refused to look at him.

But he stuck to his stubborn pride and did not acknowledge the redhead unless it was absolutely necessary, and remained the temperamental boss he always was.

Kurama, on the other hand, was taking the rejection pretty well, in his opinion. It was risky to confess his feelings --- even more so that it was to another man --- but with Hiei's attitude it was only pretty much damnation for him. What with the man's temperament, he was lucky enough to even get close to the man in the first place.

In the first place...

Kurama cast a glance at the cross-faced man, and wondered how he could ever come to love him.

He was finding it hard to stay at the Jaganshis's home, even harder to sit down every night with awkward silences at the dinner table, and yet have to keep up a pretense of happiness and content. Yukina did not know, Yusuke did not know, no one knew, and it seemed no one would ever know because Kurama would never embarrass Hiei like that, and Hiei just...

Hiei just couldn't care to fix anything.

Suddenly feeling weary and tired, Kurama set his pen down and buried his head in his hands.

_What am I still doing here...? _

* * *

Kurama's decision to leave was ultimate; a long and dreaded process, but he left anyway. He had accumulated some amount of money, enough to go ... away. He didn't want to leave; but he wasn't sure which was worst --- living with someone who didn't have the guts to look at him; or away from the one person he wanted to be with.

It was the one night they were all out together for the Tanabata festival, the girls dressed in pretty yukata and the guys in formal kimono, eating sweets and grilled eel and buying just about everything from the small stores set up along the road. They were by the river bench, with little kids hoisted up high on their father's shoulders, pointing at everything they saw.

Tanabata is a festival for lovers, but Kurama was feeling far from loved and feeling so wretched inside. Hiei would not walk close to him, Hiei would not speak to him, Hiei would not do anything. It was tearing him apart.

"Kurama?" said Yukina, peering up at him in concern. "What's the matter?"

Kurama blinked at her, realizing he had been standing by himself staring off into space.

"What are you staring at?"

"Oooh, look, people are writing wishes!" said Botan excitedly. Tugging on the arm of her boyfriend, she dragged him over to the bamboo tree, decorated with pieces of paper and scattered with people busy writing down their wish.

Feeling especially generous, Yukina took out her purse and purchased the slips of paper for each of them, and urged them all to write a wish.

"Go on, Kurama, write! You too, Oniisan," she said cheerfully, handing them out.

_What do I wish for_? thought Kurama blankly, staring at the small piece of paper._ I wish for love. I wish for happiness. I wish for him. I wish for a home. _

No one else noticed when Kurama slipped the paper into his pocket, unwritten, as empty as he felt.

They stayed on for the fireworks show. It was beautiful, but not as it once was in Kurama's memory. It was then he decided he must leave. This last gathering was proof enough --- if he did not leave now, he would never be able to. Some comfort came to him as he reminisced all the other times he had with them, but pain weaved its way into his heart as well when he realized Hiei was in almost all of his memories.

They drank and laughed and did not notice anything wrong.

The next morning, Kurama woke up as quiet as possible, ignoring the slight hangover he had. Quietly packing up his stuff which took only a few minutes, he opened the door of the guest room he had been staying for so many months, and closed it. Hoisting his bag onto his shoulder, he sank down into the sofa and pulled out a pen and the piece of paper he had saved the previous night.

Once he was done, he stood up and took a deep breath. Oki was sleeping at the corner of the living room in her cozy little basket, and Kurama stroked her one last time.

So it was that Kurama left as inconspicuously as he came; so easily settled into the lives of Hiei, Yukina, Yusuke, and the rest of the gang, and just as easily vanished forever.

* * *

Hiei was barely awake when Yukina barged into his room, tears dripping down her face.

"Why?" she choked out, holding a pink piece of paper in her hand and Oki in one arm.

"What?" said Hiei blearily, confused.

"Kurama --- he's gone."

A feeling of dread settled over him, as he took the paper and began to read it, pushing his hair out of his eyes. The note was concise and told nothing of Kurama's whereabouts, or the reason why he left. Some sort of anger and rage built up within him, and he threw the paper aside viciously.

"Oniisan ---"

"Let him leave," snapped Hiei. "So much for being hospitable to him and let him leave without any --- without any reason."

Hiei wasn't thinking properly. Inside, he couldn't really believe Kurama was gone. He also couldn't believe that it was he who drove the man out, with his attitude and rejection. He would never admit it was his fault to anyone. Not even to Kurama.

"I don't believe you're saying this," said Yukina angrily, wiping her tears away. "He was the closest one to you ---"

"He was not," growled Hiei.

Yukina left the room then, unwilling to argue any further. She would have to break the news to the rest of them, and she was determined to find Kurama, where ever he was, and contact him. Her stubborn brother had done something, and she was determined to find out what happened and why.

* * *

_Dear Yukina and Hiei, _

_I am already gone as you read this. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being my friend when I needed one, and for letting me stay at your place. I cannot tell you why I must leave; just that I must. Perhaps we will meet again one day. I wish for your great health and happiness. _

_Kurama_

* * *

Note: Google Tanabata for more information. The story is that two lovers are separated from each other, and are only allowed to meet each other on the seventh day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar, in a bridge of stars.

There are only fireworks in Sendai during Tanabata, but for fic purposes, I made a fireworks show too. xD

Short chapter. :/

Review if you like, I don't really deserve one this time :( Thank you all for reading!


	26. Chapter 26

The number of reviews have gone up tremendously -- I am so grateful and happy! Thanks a lot you guys!!

**Silent Portrait: Chapter 26**

The smell of roses faded away from the Jaganshi's quiet abode, and the first portrait Yukina bought from Kurama was taken down and stored away. Things would never be the same again now that Kurama wasn't around. Hiei was grumpier than usual, and Yukina held sadness in her eyes that pained Kuwabara the most. Kurama's absence was driving a wedge between the two siblings --- and Hiei resented him for that. In fact, Hiei resented him for everything.

Yukina had been the one to tell everyone about Kurama's abrupt departure and his note. All of them couldn't believe it had happened; especially since they were so happy the night before. She continued working at the flower shop; occasionally asking passer-bys if they had seen anyone with long red hair. No one could figure out where Kurama went; he had never mentioned his past to anyone.

There were so many questions --- why he had left, where he could have gone, when will he be back --- but Hiei thought he knew the answer to one question. Kurama could have gone home; a low possibility, but then again it was the only place Hiei knew. There, written on his employment contract, Kurama had printed clearly his home address in case of emergencies. It was eailly accessible by train and then maybe a bus.

Hiei shook his head, growling at himself. When did he become so weak? Entertaining the idea of going after Kurama to bring him back --- it was a fool's job. He was not a hero. And anyway, Jaganshi Hiei, in a commoner _bus_? No, no way that could ever be allowed. If he were to go after Kurama, it would be by taxi, of course, no less.

_... What the hell am I thinking??? _

Hiei mentally slapped himself, once, twice, and got back to his work. He was a fool to keep thinking of Kurama.

...And besides, Yusuke has a car...

_Goddammit!!_

The phone rang, making Hiei sigh with relief. Distraction is good. And so is denial.

"Oniisan?"

"Yukina? What is it?"

"I'm not coming back for dinner today."

Hiei remained silent. Gripping the phone tightly, he forced out, "Okay. Where will you be?"

"I'm having dinner with Kazuma-kun tonight."

Hiei didn't reply. He just hung up.

* * *

Yukina held on softly to his Kuwabara's hand, her small hands entirely enclosed by his. Kuwabara was trembling; with anxiety or excitement she couldn't tell, but it made her smile all the same. She pushed all thoughts of her big brother away as they walked down the streets, heading to their favourite place to eat.

She wasn't too sure when they had started dating, she figured the poor man couldn't quite muster up the courage to ask her out, but it seemed mutual and she didn't mind it at all that he had never asked. He was big and strong and she felt relatively safe around him, and he was pretty smart too, although he isn't that street-smart. His stuttering and stammering petered out soon enough as they slowly started to get to know each other better.

"Obon is coming up soon," Kuwabara commented off-handedly, squeezing her hand.

"You're right," said Yukina thoughtfully. "A time of honoring your departed ancestors... are you going back to your hometown?"

"Maybe," he shrugged, unsure. "I'm from Nagano. It's about one and a half hour's train ride. It mostly depends on whether or not Aniki feels like going home."

Yukina remained silent, unsure of what to say to continue the conversation. She had never celebrated this festival before, and certainly never discussed it with anyone, having no friends prior to this. All she knew was that it was a family reunion sort of thing, and going to pay respects to departed ancestors. They reached the restaurant and found a free table amidst the peak-hour dinner crowd. They sat in silence for a while as they browsed through the menu.

"What about you?" Kuwabara asked, signaling a waiter to come and take their order. "I can't believe I've never asked you where you were from."

Yukina only smiled weakly at him, then turned to the waiter to place her order.

She avoided the question as long as she could. But Kuwabara was curious, and though he never once pushed her for anything, he figured knowing where she was from wasn't such a delicate matter.

"Come on, tell me where you're from," he cajoled gently.

"Why?"

"Because I want to know more about you, of course," he said around a mouthful of food.

She remained silent and he remained expectant for some sort of answer.

"I guess it shouldn't hurt to tell you," she said softly. "I think... we must have come from some island somewhere... It might have been Shikoku... and then to Honshu..." Yukina's voice trailed out as she gazed out the window.

"I see," said Kuwabara, puzzled. He very much wanted to ask "_Why an island?"_ but he accepted that answer for now. There was probably more to this story, but perhaps it wasn't the time for him to know yet.

"So you're not going back… wherever?" he asked.

"No... Oniisan and I are orphans. We have no one to pay respects to," she said softly. "I doubt Oniisan would ever want to, anyway," she added sadly.

Kuwabara wisely changed the topic, determined to make his angel smile again.

* * *

"Shuichi!"

Kurama blinked out of his temporary daze, staring down at his glove-covered hands. The cool water in the sink felt good, especially in the heat of the end of summer. The dishes had yet to be done, however.

"What are you doing, dear?" His mother, Shiori, poked her head round the kitchen door. "It's nice weather out, come join us!"

He pointed to the dishes in the sink, splattering water everywhere as he did so.

"Well, come on out once you're done then," she said sweetly and left.

Kurama was still sort of getting used to being called Shuichi again. He was also feeling less like an accomplished man and more like an accomplished loser, coming home jobless though with at least a bit of money from when he worked at Hiei's company. The only thing he was glad for, though, was the ability to actually communicate with someone who knew sign language as much as he did. Shiori had pressed for some exciting stories about the busy city of Tokyo and what he had done there, but everything he wanted to say had something to do with Hiei.

Apparently being away from him hadn't done much to soothe his heart.

Making his way out to their tiny little garden, he breathed in the smell of fresh countryside air. His mother and stepfather were lounging on lawn chairs, enjoying the cool breeze, and his stepbrother Shuuichi was lying down on the grass, chatting animatedly with his parents.

Kurama never considered his stepfather and stepbrother as his relatives. He tolerated them enough, however, and never disrespected them in any way.

He sat down beside his brother, lightly shoving him playfully. It was good to be back home, he thought. The dread in his heart was slowly fading away.

"It's Obon soon," his stepfather commented, stretching lightly as he said so.

"Yes, it is. We'll have to go to the temple then, Shuichi."

"Can I come too?" asked Shuuchi excitedly. Kazuya, Kurama's stepfather, wisely shushed him.

"No, Shuu-chan," Shiori said kindly. "We are going to pay our respects to Shuichi's late father. You should be doing the same with your mother, too."

"Awww..."

Shiori glanced at her son, staring past the garden out the driveway. He didn't seem too happy to be home, but something must have made him come back. His art things had been shoved aside and she hadn't seen him pick up a brush ever since he came back. She couldn't figure out why, and she desperately wanted to know. She loved him dearly, but he never included her in any of her problems, and never accepted any money she ever wanted to give him. He periodically sent money back, which wasn't necessary at all, but nothing could stop her strong-willed son.

Sometimes she wondered if marrying Kazuya was what drove him away. He didn't object at all, possibly to avoid any arguments that might arise from it, but he never tried to bond with his new father. Kazuya understood and kept out of his way as much as he could, but she could tell he also wished to be included as his family.

Later that night, she knocked on his door.

"Shuichi? Can I come in?"

Kurama sat up from where he was reading a book. Opening the door, he was slightly surprised to see his mother standing in the doorway with some snacks.

"I thought we should have a heart-to-heart talk. I've missed you so much, you barely even reply letters."

Slightly alarmed, Kurama faked a yawn and tried to pretend to go to sleep.

"No, young man, you're not getting out of this one. You have to tell me everything!"

If Kurama could have screamed, he would have.

* * *

"Did you enjoy your dinner," Hiei spat out, yet trying to be sort of civil to his younger sister. He was in a really bad mood. Yukina stood at the doorway with Oki in her arms, stroking her gently, trying to suppress the tears that threatened to spill out.

"Yes, I did," she managed, sitting down in the living room.

"_Good_."

"It's Obon soon," she said abruptly.

"So?" he bit out angrily. "Do you want to go pay respects to our non-existent parents?"

"Maybe," she ventured timidly.

"Where would you like to go, then? Shikoku? Tottori? Saitama? Take your pick."

"That's not fair, Oniisan."

"Of course it isn't. You weren't the one who moved from orphanage to orphanage for three years," said Hiei sourly, storming off to his room.

Yukina retreated to her room hours later, certain that her brother would be better in the morning. She resolved to patch things up between them, and also make her boyfriend and her brother be at least mildly tolerant of each other.

And she'll find Kurama and make everything alright. She just needed a little bit of help...

* * *

There, how do you guys like it? Lol.

This isn't mentioned, but I decided Kurama would be "Shuichi"'s artist name. Being an artist is what he feels comfortable with, so he's more comfortable beign called Kurama. Shuichi is a reminder of his poor family home, and of a father who died when he was young.

Shikoku is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands in Japan. Tottori and Saitama will be explained soon enough. There will be scenes there :)

I had to do a lot of research for picking cities. Lol. Also, if it's sort of unclear what Obon is, then Google is your friend xD

I estimate Silent Portrait to end at around Chapter 30. Maybe. We'll see how things go. The end is near :(


	27. Chapter 27

I guess it's sorta up early, which probably means readers are gonna skip reviewing chapter 26 and review this one instead (or not review at all lol) but I'm eager to sort of get the story going. Thank you to all who reviewed the previous chapter.

**Silent Portrait: Chapter 27 **

The next morning, Yukina woke up early and made a special breakfast for her brother, in hopes to sort of ease his mood a little bit. The trick was to accompany her brother for enough time and then go out with Kuwabara some times. Also they often met up for lunch, though the enmity between him and her brother seemed to grow deeper each time they saw each other.

Sighing, she tried to think of happier things as she chopped up some onions. Frowning at the stinging in her eyes, she blinked hard and wiped her eyes with some tissue.

And this was the sight Hiei saw as he walked into the kitchen.

"Are you ... crying?" he asked carefully. Inside his mind, however, he was mentally screaming at himself, _LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE YOU'VE MADE HER CRY YOU WERE SO RUDE TO HER LAST NIGHT THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT AND KURAMA'S DEPARTURE WAS ALL YOUR FAULT AND -_

"No, I'm fine, Oniisan. It's the onions," she said quietly.

"Oh," said Hiei somewhat lamely. "Well." He observed her more, trying to decipher her mood. Was she still sad and angry at him anyway?

"It's okay. I'm not sad or anything," said Yukina, but her voice belied her words.

"...I'm sorry anyway," he bit out. Apologizing never came easily to him, but if it must be done to save his relationship with his sister...

She looked up and smiled gently at him. He stood there, somewhat unsure of her reaction.

"Want to help me cook?"

"...Sure?"

"Keep chopping up these onions then, I'll beat the eggs," she said, handing him the knife and the chopping board. Humming a quiet tune to herself, she pulled out some eggs from the fridge and cracked them into a bowl, eager to cook up a delicious omelette. Hiei scowled when he felt his eyes burn.

"Hate onions," he muttered sourly as he chopped the onions with a vengeance.

"I know," chirped Yukina.

They continued working in silence, and Yukina thought to herself that this was the first time they had actually interacted with each other in awhile without the thick tension in the air. The atmosphere felt lighter, and for once Yukina felt calm. The calmness in her cracked, however, once her thoughts floated back to her resolutions the night before. After setting the table and enjoying her food, she finally mustered the courage to ask Hiei something important.

"So... about Obon," she said carefully, watching Hiei's reaction to her words.

"What about it," Hiei said equally carefully, wondering where this was going.

"I don't want to go back to any of those places you mentioned," she said quickly, "But I do want to observe how it's celebrated."

"...So?"

"So can I go with Kuwabara –"

"No," said Hiei sharply. He tried not to sound angry, but he really didn't want them both in a place where he couldn't see them.

"Shizuru will be there. She'll make sure he won't try anything you won't like," she pleaded.

Hiei said nothing for awhile, appearing to consider this. It was true Shizuru would keep an eye on her brother, but still. He didn't like her travelling pretty far away from him. Although... that wasn't very fair now, was it? He travelled for his work at times too. And where was she in all this?

Alone at home.

"Where is Kuwabara's hometown?" he asked, trying to stem the guilt from showing in his face.

"Nagano," she replied brightly, happy that her brother wasn't just rejecting everything she was saying.

Hiei looked at his beloved sister, her eyes shining with anticipation. _How long has it been since I last saw her like that? I probably can't remember anymore. Certainly not whenever she goes out for dinner with Kuwabara..._

_...Nagano wasn't _too _far away..._

"Okay," he reluctantly said, "But you have to ... make sure to let me know everyday that you're alright."

"Always, Oniisan," she said happily, enclosing him in a brief hug which made him stiffen slightly. Awkwardly he patted her on the head, making her giggle, and then left to change for work. His heart felt oddly lighter, but his mind was still in turmoil. Frowning, he tried to push those unwanted thoughts away.

* * *

Later on that day, Yukina carefully thought about her plan and how she was going to do it. She discovered she needed the help of several people in order to pull this off.

"Shizuru," Yukina began excitedly, though careful not to spill any water on the floor whilst watering the plants, "Are you going back to Nagano for Obon this year?"

"Maybe," said Shizuru, chewing around a piece of gum, glancing through a home-decor magazine. "Why?"

"Well, if you are going, then can I come with you?"

"Sure," she said, puzzled. "Hiei actually let you?" she added, surprised, as she turned to look at Yukina.

"Yes, he did," she replied earnestly. "I think things will start to get better now."

"That's good, I guess," said Shizuru, sighing. "I still wonder where Kurama went off to, that idiot..."

Laughing a little, Yukina headed over to the counter where the taller woman sat and smiled.

"About Kurama... I'm going to try and find him."

"…I know Japan's not that big, but still..."

"I think he might have gone home," said Yukina in determination. "I'll look for him there. If he's not there, his family should be corresponding with him. And if they don't know… then I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."

Putting the magazine down, Shizuru frowned and turned to Yukina, staring at her suspiciously.

"This wouldn't have to do anything to do with you tagging along to Nagano... would it?"

"Maybe... I need to talk to Keiko or Botan first."

"What do _they _have to do with this?" said Shizuru, by now confused out of her mind.

"You'll see... oh, and don't tell Kazuma-kun anything yet!"

* * *

Shizuru returned home from work that day and grinned sneakily at her younger brother, who looked as though he wanted to slash something into half with a sword. Purposely messing up his hair and the papers on the table, she plopped down beside him and smirked.

"So, I'm going back to Nagano for Obon. You coming?"

"Probably," said Kuwabara, chewing on the end of his pen as he stared irritably at the documents littering the dining table. "I'm busy, sorry."

"Wellll," said Shizuru, her smirk growing wider and wider by the second. "Someone agreed to come along with us."

"Uh huh, okay. Please don't say it's Urameshi..."

"No," said Shizuru, rolling her eyes, wondering how on earth he can still think of brawling at an age like this. "It's your _darling _Yukina."

"REALLY?!"

Without even waiting for a reply Kuwabara began bouncing around the room like an excited little two-year-old, rambling on happily about all the places he'd take Yukina to in Nagano. Shizuru sighed and shook her head fondly. She was glad that he had finally found someone steady like Yukina. The previous girls he had dated all gave some flimsy excuse, one after the other, leaving his heart broken into many pieces. Sure, he was a big, brawn guy that seemed dumb at first sight, but he was hard-working (though only after high school), and he was gullible and easily taken advantage of.

But Yukina would never dream of taking advantage of anybody, so Shizuru felt relieved that he was dating her.

Also, Yukina looked so fragile. Strong-willed, but still looked as if she would be easily taken in by some fool's scheme. No wonder Hiei strived to protect her, and now her brother swore to do the same.

"When are we leaving? How long are we staying? Oh, we have to bring her sightseeing, she'd definitely –"

"Oh yeah, about that...I think about four days."

"Four days?! We won't have enough time to bring Yukina –"

"Ah, and Yukina will only be spending two days with us, probably," Shizuru cut in smoothly.

Kuwabara almost burst a blood vessel, cursing at the unfairness of it all.

"But _WHY_? I WANT TO BRING HER EVERYWHERE!"

"It's because of Hiei," said Shizuru quietly. Kuwabara stopped short of his ranting once he heard that name.

"That... that _bastard_," he growled, but immediately yelped as Shizuru smacked him on the head.

"He's already been kind enough to let her come with us. So stop complaining."

"Tch… fine…"

"And don't even mention it in front of him if you see him," Shizuru quickly added. "You wouldn't want him to cancel it completely, would you?"

"I guess not... yeah..."

"So we'll be leaving this Friday night. Don't do any last-minute packing, got it?"

The grumbling lasted throughout the entire night.

* * *

"– for next Thursday, how about that, boss," said Yusuke, lazily scribbling something down on Hiei's planner. His boss grunted in reply.

"Wokay," said Yusuke, and hung up the phone. Then he did a double-take when he actually saw all the plans for the week to come. His eyes widened comically. "Holy shit, you need a break."

"What?" said Hiei crossly, snatching his planner out of Yusuke's hands.

"You have like ... no free time. Do you even take a day off sometimes? Look here, you have meetings from next Monday till like _forever _–"

Hiei, who was typing steadily away at the computer, paused for a moment to glare at his assistant before turning back to other important matters at hand. The economy wasn't doing too good lately, and he needed to make sure he wasn't going to lose his business due to incompetency. Obviously he couldn't afford to take a day off.

"Okay, okay..." said Yusuke, backing away at the glare.

"Yusuke, where are the employment records?" asked Botan, rummaging through her drawer.

"God, how am I supposed to know? Ask Keiko or something, will ya..."

"Well just get over here and help me find it!"

Vaguely, he tuned out Yusuke and Botan's everyday banter, concentrating on his work. Thoughts of Kurama still invaded his mind, especially at night. It was disturbing his focus and making it difficult for him to sleep.

_Maybe_, he thought, _just maybe_,_ after this busy week, I might go and search for him._

He stole a glance at a sealed envelope partially hidden inside his briefcase. It was addressed to Kurama.

_He never did get his last paycheck after all._

* * *

Phewwww. I finished a chapter in 4 days. AND it's pretty long too. Woooooow. Don't you think I deserve a review?? xD Hehehe.

As for Yukina's plan, it's quite... intricate in design. Well, for her, anyway. You might pick out some tiny little details in there. Heh.

Okay, okay, so it's another filler chapter, sort of. Stuff begins happening next chapter!!


	28. Chapter 28

Guys, guys, calm down!! The story has gone this far --- there's no way I'm giving it up. I update slowly, but I'll never stop, okay? xD

Thanks for all your lovely reviews!!

Edit : I made revisions to Yukina's plan. It wouldn't have worked out lol.

Edit2: argh, why won't ffnet let me underline my chapter titles....................

* * *

**Silent Portrait: Chapter 28**

So there Hiei was, stuck with a purring kitty in his lap, on a dark and cold and stormy and starry night. Actually, it wasn't really all that cold, Hiei just sort of turned up the air-conditioning pretty high. It was summer after all. And stormy and starry wasn't exactly describing the weather outside; it was more of a self-justification as to how the weather _should _be like in accordance to his mood.

So, yeah. Hiei was pretty much alone, aside from the purring kitty in his lap.

He wondered what Yukina was doing.

_This is pathetic_, he spat at himself. _She left like an hour ago_. _Stop being so pathetic!_

Oki meowed in agreement.

He wondered what Yukina was doing.

This cycle continued on for quite some time, upon which many other odd questions interjected themselves randomly into Hiei's head, so much so he was beginning to really doubt himself. These questions started with _'I wonder what Yukina is _doing' to _'I hope Kuwabara isn't trying anything funny on my sister' _to _'I wonder if Yukina really loves Kuwabara' _and then to _'I wonder if Kuwabara really loves Yukina' _and...

And.

_'I wonder if Kurama really loved me?' _

Everyone wondered all the time, didn't they? About love, about life and the choices they make. The things to do and to not do. Whether or not to leave. To stay. To love, to hate, to regret and forget and repress because everything was uncertain and everything wasn't set in stone in black and white like how he liked it; where work was work and money was money and his sister would stay forever by his side and anyone or anything that tried to hurt her would go through him instead.

When did everything backfire against him?

Suddenly his position was a threat, suddenly his position labeled him a big shot person in society who wasn't married and therefore liable to much sex and money and various other things people wanted him to be.

Suddenly his sister started developing new friendships and relationships and just as suddenly he was reduced to being alone. With her, at least he was never truly alone before, but he was now.

Suddenly he found someone who probably loved him for some dumb reason or whatever, and just as suddenly he abruptly left.

Except, he sighed, thinking. It wasn't just as suddenly, was it?

Hiei may have forgotten most details about Kurama, about where they met or what he said and how it all happened; but the one thing he can't seem to forget is this _something _deep within him. Something he couldn't put a name to, something he might have once labeled jealousy or envy or desire, but they don't quite sound right. It faded away ever since the redhead had left, but then again it might have come back in the form of _guilt_.

_When have I ever questioned myself so many times? _

He was more certain now about what he wanted. He wasn't exactly sure what Kurama's position in his life would be; all he knew is that he had to be there somehow. The details could come in later.

He set Oki aside and grabbed the final paycheck that belonged to Kurama, before heading to his room to grab whatever things he might need. Best to do it now before anyone finds out. Yukina wouldn't be back till Sunday, so he had some time.

It was a rash and impulsive decision, but the details could come in later.

"Yusuke," he barked into the phone.

"Man, you call at all the wrong times," Yusuke growled into the phone. "Way to kill a boner – "

"YUSUKE – " a shriek emanated from the phone directly into Hiei's ear, making him cringe.

"I'm going to Osaka," said Hiei, using the hidden code only Yusuke knew, which usually meant he was going to do some business outside of the country which no one, absolutely no one knew of.

"When will you be back?"

"Saturday, probably. We'll see. Reschedule all my Friday appointments. Do as you see fit."

Without waiting for a reply, he hung up.

Hiei had only ridden on the _shinkansen _once. He had always suspected he might have a slight case of agoraphobia, what with him always being so uncomfortable and anxious in crowds. The bullet train, used by so many thousands of Japanese people daily, was fast enough so he could get to Kurama's hometown in only three hours and forty minutes. He would reach the house at approximately eleven at night; hopefully the Minamino household was alright with him staying overnight.

This, of course, was based on the assumption that Kurama _was _there.

He refused to consider that possibility.

* * *

Yukina watched fondly as the Kuwabara family as a whole chattered and talked amongst themselves. She answered sometimes when certain family members politely asked her how she had met Kazuma. Not many of them seemed to know that she was a famous multimillionaire's sister; though she preferred it like this. Blushing lightly, she remembered when Kazuma had introduced her as his girlfriend, stuttering all the while.

It wasn't a very big and spacious home; nor filled with expensive trinkets or devoid of any decoration, it was something quite unfamiliar yet it brought her comfort. Or perhaps it was Kuwabara's hand in hers, warm and strong, that made her feel the comfort she now felt. She gave a gentle squeeze, and chuckled lightly when he squeezed back. He was too busy talking to his parents to pay much attention to her other than holding hands.

"Enough!" Kuwabara said dramatically, getting up from the table. "God, ask Aniki all the questions, will ya? I'm taking Yukina for a walk."

Yukina bowed demurely and stood up with him. The remaining members of the family looked on fondly, before turning all their attention on Shizuru, who squawked in alarm when one of the elders told her to stop smoking. Kazuma snickered as he closed the door and continued walking.

"Let's see... we could just walk around the shops nearby... are you hungry? Nagano is pretty famous for their udon soup."

"No, I'm not. But we can go eat some if you want," said Yukina. "I might get a small bowl if they have some, or maybe I'll just have some of yours."

"Alright! More udon for me!"

"I wonder what your parents thought of me?" she said out loud, glancing slightly at him.

"I think they liked you," said Kuwabara, pondering. His family didn't react too badly; on the contrary they seemed somewhat delighted that he had brought a guest home.

"Hopefully..."

"Well, they certainly like you more than your brother likes me," said Kuwabara sourly. He immediately regretted it as he said it though, as Yukina froze in her tracks.

Kuwabara struggled for a moment between apologizing or defending himself, then finally settling for in between.

"I'm sorry, but it's the truth. I'm not your brother's favourite person in the world."

"No, I know," said Yukina sadly. "I know you're not. The only people he's ever been nice to is me... and Kurama."

"Yeah, Kurama... wonder what he's up to now."

_I'll bring him back_, thought Yukina, as they walked on in silence. _He brought the most change in my brother's life - and he brought the most change as well when he left. He has to come back. _

"Also, I wish you could stay here for a few more days. I can't believe you're leaving tomorrow..."

Yukina smiled guiltily, and subtly changed the topic.

* * *

_"Arriving at Fukuyama Station... Fukuyama Station." _

Hiei glanced at his watch as he stepped out of the train. It was ten past eleven. Suddenly he didn't feel quite as confident as he did when he made that impulsive decision to leave his safe haven (also known as home).

And he had, also, completely forgotten about Oki. Who was going to feed her while he was gone? He could just imagine returning home after successfully dragging Kurama back only to find her dead body splayed beside her woeful empty food bowl and Yukina would cry and Yukina would blame him and...

Well, that solved the matter, didn't it? All he had to do was drag Kurama back by the next day and Oki would only be slightly hungrier and at least not dead.

Feeling more confidence seep into him, he hailed a taxi and promptly seated himself comfortably in one. He wrinkled his nose in distaste at the shabbiness, but he gave Kurama's address to the taxi driver anyway. He sat back and looked out the window.

"You're not from around here, are you?" said the taxi driver conversationally.

"No," said Hiei shortly.

"Here on holiday?"

Hiei glanced at his very empty suitcase. He had grabbed some money, his identification card, his phone ... and some brief paperwork that he thought he might do while waiting for the train to arrive at Fukuyama... but didn't consider to bring a change of clothes at all. _At all._

"No," said Hiei, trying not to sound miserable.

"Well, if it's your first time here, Fukuyama is known as the Rose City. There are roses planted everywhere."

"Really."

"Mmhmm. During the Second World War, an air attack destroyed most of the city. It was completely rebuilt, of course, but then the villagers, all of them gathered to plant roses. And then it just stuck."

"I see."

"Ever smelt roses before?"

"..."

"You should. They smell beautiful."

Hiei was about to retort that _beautiful _isn't a smell, but wisely kept his mouth shut.

"We're here," the driver eventually said. He pulled over and turned around to receive his payment.

"You should come back sometime in May. The Rose Festival's held at that time. The entire city turns into a garden."

"Thank you," Hiei said curtly before stepping out of the car. He watched as the taxi left, wondering what he was going to say to Kurama's family. Or Kurama himself, if he was there. Walking up to the door of the house, he rang the doorbell, hoping he wouldn't look too suspicious standing there at a quarter past midnight.

The streetlights were dim and the night was quiet. Hiei waited there for awhile, taking in the sight of the garden and the neighbourhood. The taxi driver was right; it really was the Rose City.

And suddenly a strong scent hit him right smack in the face; a scent he found so familiar, a scent he now recognized....

The door opened.

* * *

So yeah, I found the perfect city for Kurama. I was googling up cities in Japan for proper backgrounds for the characters, and when I randomly selected Fukuyama, and then it came out as Rose City, I was like OMG. Seriously. And yeah, major cliffhanger here. Hehehehehehehehehehehe.

Sorry it's been so long!! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, and it would be nice if you left a review! Thanks!


	29. Chapter 29

-slouches back into view-

Er, hi. xD I'msorryIdidn'tupdateforsolongkthankyoureadreviewiloveyouall!

-presents chapter, and runs off the stage-

**Silent Portrait: Chapter 29**

Peeking out of the door, a tuft of brown hair was clearly visible, and so Hiei decided that this man was not Kurama.

"Yes?" said the man sharply, not wishing to open the door any more than he really had to. Staring up into cautious brown eyes, Hiei wished he was a little taller. Because of his tiny stature, it was hard to really look convincing and firm. So he had to resort to fierceness; which probably accounted for his behaviour today. But today he's trying his best to be something other than fierce.

"I'm looking for Minamino Kurama," said Hiei gruffly. Immediately he felt contrite and reminded himself hastily to be more polite.

The man appeared unconvinced and still suspicious.

"Come back tomorrow," he finally said after awhile. Evidently, by tomorrow he would have had time to alert the police of this suspicious tiny man lurking around the neighbourhood.

"Relax," barked Hiei, quickly growing irritated, thus completely forgetting his earlier resolve to be less rude. "I'm not going to rob you or anything."

"What do you want with my son?" demanded the man harshly. "If there's any business, come back tomorrow."

"Kazuya, who is it?" Hiei heard someone whisper on the other side.

"Some guy here looking for Shuichi."

_Shuichi? _thought Hiei, confused. _Did I get the wrong house or something?_

"I'm looking for Minamino Kurama," repeated Hiei, crossing his arms. Huffing, he lowered his eyes and muttered, "This can't wait till tomorrow. Tell him... Jaganshi Hiei is here to see him."

There followed a very uncomfortable silence.

"Jaganshi?!" The man half-shrieked. He opened the door and hurriedly ushered Hiei into the house. The light was switched on and Hiei blinked, adjusting his eyes. He was greeted by a man with slightly tousled light brown hair, and another woman with long thick hair tied into a ponytail. She left quickly to "put on some tea", as she explained it, and Hiei again found himself being maneuvered to sit on the couch.

"How do you know my son, if you don't mind me asking?"

"He worked for me. Did he not tell you?"

"He... no, he did not. Shui --- er, Kurama is probably asleep, I will get him for you. Please wait here."

Hiei waited uncomfortably, fidgeting with his briefcase. Thoughts ran marathons in his mind, looping over and over. Why on earth were they calling Kurama by a different name? And also, how to convince him to come back? On the train he had successfully managed to avoid thinking about Kurama until a sudden thought floated into his mind, "What do I say to him?" and then he began to panic and panic and panic and compose what he was going to say and then he told himself to calm the fuck down ---

...He'd sorted it all out in the train. He knew what to say when he stepped off.

How come now, at this crucial moment in time; he's forgotten it all?

* * *

"Shuichi?"

Kurama woke up slowly, stilll groggy. He recognized the voice outside as his stepfather's. Wondering what he could possibly want at this time of the night, he got out of bed and opened the door, yawning.

"There's a visitor here, looking for you."

Cocking his head slightly, he opened the door and headed downstairs.

"His name is Jaganshi Hiei... he said you worked for him."

Kurama stopped short in his tracks. His heartbeat doubled in shock. Hiei... couldn't possibly have come all the way here, could he? And what did he want?

Cringing, Kurama realized that he had left without so much of an explanation; naturally one would come looking for answers. He just... didn't really expect it to be Hiei...

_What do I do now? I don't want to see him..._

_Actually, I've missed him. I've missed him quite a lot..._

Letting out a sound of distress, he turned to the side and banged his head on the wall.

"Shuichi, what's the matter?" said his mother, alarmed at the sight of her son self-injuring himself. She went over to him and put an arm around his shoulder.

"I barely reach up to your shoulder anymore," she said, smiling fondly. Kurama stared, uncertain and embarrassed, into his mother's eyes. She smoothed red locks away from his face, patting it lightly.

"You're a grownup now, aren't you? You can handle things without us."

Kurama wasn't sure what his mother meant by those words, but how could he possibly explain to her the whole story? No, the life of his was one kept in silence. He was like a broken string on a guitar; unable to produce anymore sound, unable to produce an exquisite song that the whole world would know and see. So what if he was an adult now? What difference did it make and more importantly, what has _that _got to do with Hiei's presence in his house?

Mustering a deep breath, he walked down the stairs, his mother's hand slipping away from his shoulder.

* * *

Hiei could not have prepared himself well enough. Nothing could have prepared him of the sight of Kurama, so full and real before his eyes and just... just right there. Standing there in front of him, casually pushing one hand through his thick red hair, Kurama's green eyes bore deep into him and drowned him with guilt. Hiei was at a loss for words; his mind completely blank. It was as if, after months of not seeing Kurama, suddenly appearing again made him seem so unreal.

Kurama took a seat opposite Hiei, still running one hand through his hair and looking away from him.

The silence deafened even Kurama, who'd taken months just absorbing it back when he used to work with Hiei in the same office.

_'Why are you here?' _Kurama signed to him eventually, breaking the stillness of life in the living room.

Hiei stared at him blankly. Then he looked away, ashamed.

"I don't know."

Kurama's gaze snapped to him, his heart jumping. It was the first time in a long time that he had seen Hiei show emotion other than anger. Again, Yukina's words floated back to him ... was he really one of the rare few that could make Hiei react this way?

"I don't know ... what you just said," Hiei continued sourly, still not looking at Kurama. He reached into his briefcase and rummaged around for a piece of paper. Expertly extracting a pen from his shirt pocket, he held them out to Kurama.

The redhead didn't know what to do. So he had been gone this long and Hiei had all but forgotten simple sign language. All the hurt and anger and love he felt towards this _stupid, stupid man _burst forth like a dam finally broken. He wanted Hiei to leave and never come look for him again. He wanted to hit something, and he also wanted to kiss that very same 'something', and fuck it all if he knew what to do or write.

Kurama took the pen casually, his face betraying no emotion. His hands shook, however, as he took the piece of paper and scribbled something out. He gave the paper back to Hiei.

_'Then there is nothing left to say,'_ Hiei read aloud, frowning. Feeling a surge of anger, Hiei looked up, intending to berate the stupid redhead for whom he'd sacrifice time and money and pride to try and bring him back and _make things right_, but Kurama was already gone.

"Goddammit," Hiei swore, and punched a pillow. Upstairs, he heard a door slam.

How could things have already gone wrong before they had even begun?

Kurama's parents came downstairs, clearly shaken by this whole event. Hiei stood up and walked to the door, opening it.

"I'll see myself out, thanks," he said, without looking back.

"What happened?" his mother ventured carefully. Hiei, whose hand was already curled around the doorknob, turned back to look at her.

"I pissed him off, I guess. I'll be back tomorrow, maybe."

With that, Hiei left the Minamino's house and went to look for a hotel nearby.

* * *

In a dark room illuminated only by a dim lamp post outside and the light of the moon, a figure sat huddled by the window. His shoulders were shaking visibly but no tears came forth. Kurama had long since learnt that tears wasted on Hiei were just that: wasted. He turned to stare out the window, watching Hiei leave his house and pause in the middle of the road, unsure of where to go. Finally he disappeared down the road, and Kurama let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

_'I wonder what you see when you see the moon? Do you see the same moon that I see?"_

Hiei's drunken words from many nights ago came back to him as he looked up to the sky, searching for the moon. The moon was nowhere to be seen, and instead what covered the velvet sky and its stars were... clouds. Kurama looked closer and it took awhile before he realized that he was looking at rainclouds.

He was out the door before the first sounds of thunder could be heard.

* * *

word count iiiiiiiiiiis 1535. sorry it's so short...

:DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Review? xD I will love you forever xD

Thanks for reading!


	30. Chapter 30

Dear God, writing this is HARD. I don't want it to end......................................

SO yeah. :D Bear with the draggyness, please??? T_T

.... I... I... just forgot... I completely forgot Genkai, oh my GOD, how could I forget Genkai?? 30 chapters in and I'm only just remembering a character?? FML

ER yeah. Crap. I'll see if I want to fit her in this story, but otherwise... I think it's too late to be bringing in another side character... man, what a screw-up...

O BTW HUGE FUCKING CLICHE IN THIS STORY :D

**Silent Portrait: Chapter 30**

Hiei held his briefcase over his head, trying his best to shelter himself from the rain as he scouted for any taxi on the road. He wondered briefly if he should continue walking and hope to bump into a hotel or something, or stand here waiting for a taxi to get him safely to the nearest hotel. The streetlight was dim at this time of night, but he could still spot a taxi if it passed by.

The night had not gone very well at all...

If he didn't repair things with Kurama, they would be a world apart. _It was undeniable now_, he thought. He still remembered the emotions that stirred up within him when he saw the hurt in Kurama's eyes. Sign language; the only thing about Kurama that he could have stored in the part of his brain other than memories of the redhead... he had pushed it all aside. He stood in the rain, trying desperately to recall Kurama's graceful hands as he signed out each letter to Keiko and Yukina at the hospital.

Hiei smiled slightly as he remembered. Kurama had been sick, that was it... he hadn't eaten, that stupid fool, and went and fainted and caused everyone to panic, and maybe it was then? Was it then that he fell for Kurama?

He looked up to the dark sky, cloudy and uncertain, sort of like him, he realized. Moody, unpredictable, and in such a high position to fall... He lowered his hand and brought his briefcase down to his side, though his chin remained tilted up. The rain was unrelenting, making him blink as he stared up into the cloudy and starless sky.

_I feel alone._

It had been quite awhile before Hiei realized he had started naming his emotions. Normally he would have pushed such nonsense aside; emotions were emotions and aside from the occasional happiness or anger, they were all quite useless and deterred most of his everyday work. But... yes, ever since Kurama left... or rather, ever since he appeared in his life, he found he could actually recognize what he was feeling.

Lost was when Yukina was lost....

Confusion, on the ferris wheel, staring into green, desperate eyes.

Anguish when Kurama disappeared...

Worry, when Kurama did not contact any of them, even at least to say hello...

Loneliness in the days that passed after his departure...

Desperation, which led him here...

_The cycle repeats, I suppose, like bad karma and fate,_ thought Hiei. Chances of Kurama returning and forgiving him seemed slim, and he would return to Tokyo, lost. Confused. Angry... and lonely...

The sound of footsteps and slight panting broke him from his reverie. Hiei turned around, looking for the source of the noise. Suddenly he felt completely and utterly vulnerable... if anything happened to him right now, no one would ever know. He backed away a few steps, his eyes still scanning the area closely.

From the shadows, a flicker of red... or was it red? He couldn't be sure, not with such dim lighting. Great, he was starting to imagine Kurama everywhere now...

But he wasn't wrong.

* * *

Kurama ran in the direction that Hiei left, hoping beyond hope he could catch up to him.

Why, why did he let Hiei go just like that? Seeing him had been such a pain, but the emotions that he felt for Hiei were still there. Repressed, somewhere in the recesses of his mind, but still there, like an old scar. A very memorable scar... And seeing him again made those emotions come out exponentially, probably too much for Kurama to handle. Mentally he tried to put a filter on his thoughts, to taper everything out slowly so that it made some sort of roundabout sense.

He left.

He hadn't expected anyone to come after him.

For that matter, how did Hiei know where to find him?

Hope sparked in his heart, faintly; Kurama tried to dim it down. After all, when your hopes soar so ever high, you run the risk of falling far below the mark.

But where was the mark?

Seeing Hiei again was something he'd never even dreamt of. He had washed his hands free of him, but if the stains were still there... then...

Then perhaps the mark wasn't... wasn't as high as he'd dared to believe.

Kurama spotted a figure standing underneath a dim lamppost. It looked like Hiei, so he slowed down a little. Hiei didn't seem to be leaving anytime soon. His back was facing Kurama, so he while he was in a position to surprise the diminutive man, Kurama's panting must have been loud even in the pouring rain. Hiei snapped around quickly at the source of the sound, his eyes scanning intently around the area.

Taking a deep breath, possibly to strengthen his courage, Kurama stepped forward with the umbrella still in his hands.

Hiei was dripping wet, though he didn't seem to mind. He stared at Kurama, puzzled. Kurama hid a smirk at that expression; surely Hiei must be quite confused. _One minute I refuse to speak to him, and the next I'm running after him with an umbrella. _

_Kami-sama, my heart betrays me all the time. _

Kurama walked closer to Hiei, sheltering the shorter man from the rain. As he neared the source of light, he observed Hiei's expression. But what struck him the most, deep down to his chest --- was that Hiei looked like he had been crying.

_Was the man even capable of tears...?_

Standing there, with Hiei so close to him he could smell the peppermint cologne he always used, Kurama felt claustrophobic. He held out the umbrella to Hiei, gesturing for him to take it.

Hiei gave him a look he could have skated on.

"And what will _you _do once I take this umbrella?"

Kurama didn't feel need to respond, though his answer would have been, _"I love you, you ungrateful little bastard. Just take the goddamn thing and don't worry about me."_

Sometimes there were perks to not being able to speak, and that was the advantage of not having to explain yourself.

"Come with me," Hiei blurted out, his eyes boring deep into Kurama's.

Kurama shook his head and took a step back.

"You have to. Come with me," repeated Hiei. "I want to talk to you."

Kurama smiled weakly, still shaking his head. _I don't talk._

"We'll find a way," said Hiei reassuringly, reading Kurama's mind. "Just come with me for now."

Still a no. Kurama was being stubborn and he himself knew it, but he held firm to his decision.

"Then show me to the nearest hotel, or lead me back to your house," Hiei hissed sourly, running a hand through his hair in agitation.

_Choices, choices... Endure ten minutes walk to his house, or less than ten minutes walk to the nearest hotel?_

Kurama picked the latter. He pointed in the direction of the hotel, and gestured for Hiei to start walking. Kurama heaved a silent sigh and stayed a step behind the millionaire, taking care to cover the man as much as possible from the rain. The umbrella was, of course, too small for two people to share.

* * *

The walk to the hotel seemed endless, though while Hiei was prepared for the deafening silence to come, he found that the rain drowned it out, making him feel much calmer. Kurama was still holding the umbrella, and not for the first time, Hiei wished he wasn't that short. Finally, upon reaching a dreary, shabby-looking hotel, he approached the concierge.

"Good evening, sir," the concierge greeted politely.

"Yes. One room, please."

"Of course, sir. For the two of you?"

Hiei turned his head to the left slightly. Out of the corner of his eye, he could still see and feel Kurama's presence behind him.

"No, just me. He'll stay in my room for awhile until the rain lets up, if that's alright," said Hiei firmly, ready to grab Kurama should he even make a step towards the exit. He was not going to let him go until he was heard.

"That's perfectly fine. How would you like to pay?"

As Hiei settled the payment, Kurama looked vaguely unsettled but resigned. Hiei was right. The rain was getting quite heavy. But it was already so late. How was he going to explain to his parents tomorrow? He hadn't even told them that he'd left... though he was already an adult, surely he didn't need to report such things to them?

He allowed himself to be pushed by Hiei into the elevator. Sighing, he wondered how they were going to communicate later. Maybe in the span of half an hour or so Hiei's memory of sign language would have returned? Hah. That was seriously hoping too much.

As they reached the assigned room, Hiei unlocked the door and stepped in. Kurama followed after him, uncertain. Not wanting to stand and feel awkward, he veered to the nearest chair and sank into it. Hiei disappeared into the bathroom and came out carrying two towels, one of which he tossed to Kurama.

"Is it too much to just ask you to listen?" said Hiei quietly as he sat down at the foot of the bed, towelling his hair dry.

_But that's what I do all the time, Hiei_, thought Kurama. He sighed and looked away. Hiei's expression grew to that of annoyance.

"Yeah, so you're mute. So you don't really talk and you're forced to listen all the time," said Hiei, agitated. Kurama looked up sharply at him. Hiei stared back, continuing, "So what? So what if you can't talk or sing or scream, why make such a big deal about it? Why do you have to act like you're nothing?"

"You're not nothing. You meant a lot to us... you still mean a lot to us. Do you know – How could you –"

Hiei stopped short there, willing himself to calm down. His frustration had burst quickly into anger, anger that Kurama had left without so much as a proper goodbye.

"Okay, I accept you have your reasons for leaving," Hiei continued, his voice softening. Kurama was still staring at him in a half-shocked way, his mouth slightly open.

"Those reasons... are those reasons because of me?"

The words were so soft; barely audible at all to Kurama's ears, but he heard it. His heart broke and he fell down to his knees in front of Hiei.

"Kurama... you... before you came into my life, I've pushed all my feelings to one side. You are the one who, no matter how hard I try..." Hiei could not finish his sentence. Kurama could not believe his ears, but he grasped Hiei's hands. He was met with only a little resistance, but Hiei's hands were still clenched furiously.

_Please, please continue talking to me. Don't stop. _

"It's still too soon. I don't know what to make of this... of my _feelings_," he bit out the cursed, hated word, "I just know that you have to come back with me."

Shakily, Kurama nodded, his eyes still locked with the millionaire's. That was as good a confession Kurama would ever get... and he was surprised to find that he was completely all right with it.

"I just need... I just need a bit more time, to sort out this stuff. Our stuff," Hiei added, scowling awkwardly.

Kurama nodded again, trying his best to rein in his emotions. He was this close to Hiei, it was so unnerving.

"And... and, I'm sorry," Hiei muttered, looking away from Kurama. "That day on the ferris wheel... I didn't mean to push you away."

"You surprised me, I guess. I don't react well to surprises," Hiei said with a bitter chuckle. Kurama squeezed the hand underneath his in a comforting way, hoping to convey his understanding.

"You forgive me, then?"

Again another nod, though this time with an equally shaky smile from Kurama. Hiei's lips quirked tentatively into a little lopsided smile. Suddenly, he was yanked forward; his body colliding against Kurama's. He was in an awkward half-squatting position on the floor, and was considering pulling away but Kurama's whole body was trembling.

He ran his hand through the soft, red hair, threading it between his fingers. Closing his eyes, he breathed in the smell of Kurama --- that familiar fragrant scent of roses.

* * *

**Author's notes....**

Hiei WASN'T crying. The rain only made it look so. Also, this is the ONLY chapter that Hiei is ever going to talk this much. Muahaha. So, he is actually sort of OOC in this chapter, which is why I had trouble writing out his dialogue and stuff.

MYEHHH.

I originally planned for this scene...

Hiei: (_arrives outside Kurama's house)_

Kurama:(_is in the garden, happily pulling weeds)_

Yukina: (_arrives outside Kurama's house in a separate taxi)_

all three of them: WTF?!

Shiori: (_comes out of the house) _Oh, Shuuichi! Is that your girlfriend?

Kurama: (_alarmed, shakes head)_

Shiori: Oh, that's too bad. She's sweet. Is that your boyfriend then?

Kurama: (_sweatdrops) _

lol.

By the way, all of you , please don't be offended if I don't reply reviews, it's because I'm not in the habit of doing so :( If you would like me to reply to a question you have, however, say so though, and I WILL reply you. Otherwise, my thanks go out to ALL readers, and ALL reviewers for each chapter equally (not to flamers, but I haven't had any of those yet xD)


	31. Chapter 31

I have found, much to my dismay, that I have miscalculated the distance from Tokyo to Fukuyama... argh

Also, holy shit long absence!!! I'm really sorry! But you really have my reassurance that I will not give up this fic!

**Silent Portrait : Chapter 31**

Kuwabara leaned against the doorframe of the guestroom, watching Yukina pack her things neatly into her suitcase. He frowned slightly; it seemed like ages ago since he actually had her all by himself for two whole days. And his lovely vacation was cut short all because of her stupid irritating little shrimp of a brother...

_Come to think of it_, thought Kuwabara, as he plopped down onto the bed behind Yukina and began massaging her shoulders, _their sibling relationship is actually really weird..._

"Yukina," he began thoughtfully, "Does Hiei talk to you very much at all?"

"Not really. Why do you ask?"

"Doesn't that hurt you sometimes?" he blurted out. Yukina turned around with a slightly crestfallen look on her face. Kuwabara immediately stuck his foot into his mouth.

"Sorry," he mumbled, turning away to lie on his back, staring at the ceiling above him.

"Kazuma... Oniisan doesn't really talk to anyone much anyway. He is a good listener, though."

Unable to help himself, Kuwabara snorted. Yukina gave a little giggle, but she continued defending her brother.

"He has never had anyone to talk to since young... it's probably become a habit for him. He's just... not long-winded, if that makes any sense, you know?" she said, trying to put her thoughts together while pushing the last of her clothes into the suitcase. She sat back with a relieved sigh and wiped her brow.

"But he had you. Surely he could spare a few words for his sister," he continued blithely, scowling. He turned to look at Yukina. She rested her chin on her arms, a sad little smile playing on her face.

"He didn't have me, Kazuma. Not until I was eighteen... we were both separated when we were very young."

"What?! Until you were... but...but... huh?"

"I think ... we must have been about three years old. Our parents... they must have passed away, or something. We don't remember..."

Kuwabara listened attentively, lightly stroking Yukina's hand.

"Oniisan and I were at the same orphanage for about three years. People tried to adopt me, but Oniisan made it very clear that wherever I went, he was to go too, otherwise he did everything to stop them. He stole paperwork... he lashed out at everyone except me. I, too, refused to go most of the time, which made most people change their minds, especially after seeing such a ferocious display from Oniisan."

"You mean he actually attacked people? Wow."

"He was bitter, I think. That everyone wanted to adopt me and not him. But as we grew older, we didn't want to be separated. It was tough... growing up in an orphanage. Oniisan was not liked by any of the other children because he was so hard to approach. He bit the mistress and other volunteers..." Yukina trailed off, reminiscing.

"It's really hard to imagine your brother doing that, Yukina," said Kuwabara, grinning at the mental image of a little tiny Hiei sinking his jaws into the hands of a woman, who screamed and flung him about like a rag doll.

"...So..." Yukina continued, her face growing even more solemn, "They decided to separate the both of us. I went to sleep one night with Oniisan on my right, in a separate bed. I woke up the next morning in a completely different orphanage, and he was nowhere to be found. I still don't know how they managed to transport me from one orphanage to another in one night; maybe it was something in the food..."

"What happened then?"

Yukina shook her head sadly.

"Oniisan will not say, Kazuma. He doesn't like to talk about it... but then again... who would? It may be hard for you to understand... but we haven't come from an easy life all this while. Now that I have explained, is it so surprising that my brother doesn't talk much?"

"I guess I kinda see your point," said Kuwabara, flopping back onto the bed. He still had a frown on his face.

"I'm glad you do."

"But I still wish he would treat you a little better," he added, scowling.

"He loves me very much, Kazuma. That much is obvious to me," said Yukina, leaning back from Kazuma's touch to retie her messy ponytail.

"It's not obvious to everyone else..."

"But not everyone knew he spent ten years searching for me," Yukina said matter-of-factly. "Would you go to that length to find your sister if she were missing, Kazuma?"

"I..." Kuwabara stopped to think. Truly, he had grown up with his sister, but never once had they told each other how much they cared as a brother or sister. Sure, they confided in each other but ... but would he miss her if she wasn't there?

"I don't know," Kuwabara said, somewhat ashamed. Yukina's whole posture relaxed as she scooted forward to comfort him.

"It's alright," she said, continuing, "Most people take things for granted while they're still there. Only when it's gone you'll know how much you'll miss it."

"You're right," he replied thoughtfully. "I guess I could do something for her birthday or something, it's coming up pretty soon."

"That's nice," said Yukina happily.

"He spent ten years just looking for you? Wow... I guess I have a reason to admire the guy now," Kuwabara said, sighing. So Hiei seemed to be a good guy now. A good brother, a multi-millionaire, pretty handsome to boot, what else was there not to like? Oh yeah, his scary disposition.

Kuwabara snorted again.

"I guess I should go now," Yukina said, getting up to her feet. Distracted from his thoughts, Kuwabara quickly sprang from the bed to help her lift the luggage and carry it to the front door. Despite feeling quite disappointed, he kissed her lightly on her forehead, making her laugh.

"See you back in Tokyo?" he said, grinning, though inside he desperately wanted her to stay longer.

"Yes, definitely. Call me when you get back."

A taxi pulled up at the door, coughing up a cloud of dust as it braked. Yukina breathed in the fresh summer air. Tokyo was too congested; she needed to get away more often. Perhaps she should start planning for another group outing...

"Be careful, okay?"

"I will. I had a lot of fun, thank you for showing me around," said Yukina as she got into the taxi; Kuwabara carrying her luggage to be put in the trunk.

"Yeah, we should do this again! I didn't get to show you everything..." he shouted from the back of the taxi, before coming round to say goodbye.

"I'll take you to Tottori some day," Yukina said boldly, a sudden rush of affection surged from her as she gazed at this tall, orange-haired man she had now come to love. "The last orphanage I was in is there."

"I'll be happy to go with you," he grinned.

"Where to?" grunted the taxi driver. heaving himself into the driver's seat.

"To the bus station," Kuwabara told him, and the driver nodded. He closed the door and the taxi began to pull away. Yukina waved goodbye and slowly the figure of her boyfriend waving disappeared into the distance.

"Excuse me," she said then, to the driver, "Please take me to the train station instead."

"Not the bus station?"

"No. I need to take the train."

"Alright then."

* * *

The sunlight was beaming in, quite ready to wake up the world. One green eye opened lazily from beneath a cover of sheets, before closing at first sight of the glaring sunshine. Feeling quite warm and comfortable, with an added plus of being this close to the man he loved, Kurama shifted around to face Hiei, his back facing the dreaded sun. He sighed contentedly and dropped back off to sleep.

The night before was... almost surreal, to him. Hiei had come for him willingly, had opened up to him and apologized to him, something the Hiei he met a year ago would never have done.

"K'rama..?" Hiei mumbled sleepily, feeling the redhead's body shift. It took awhile before Hiei realized that Kurama couldn't speak and therefore couldn't reply him. Squinting against the bright sunlight, he caught a glimpse of Kurama's content and relaxed posture. They weren't hugging or anything, but it felt like they could have been. Hiei hadn't felt this relaxed in ages... before this, sleep was just an intervention between one day and the next...

"We should leave," said Hiei, heaving himself out of the very comfy and inviting covers. Scowling, he added, as an afterthought, "Your family is probably really worried by now."

Kurama gave a groan of "Ugh, I really don't want to get up," and an even louder groan when Hiei whapped him on the back of his head.

"Get up."

The redhead shoved him away, shooting Hiei a sleepy glare of doom.

"Doesn't work on me," Hiei smirked, messing up Kurama's already messed up hair. As he pulled away to freshen himself up for the day, Kurama tugged hard, making him land back on to the bed.

"Oi!" Hiei growled, half-muffled as his face was planted right onto the bed. "Get. Up. I seriously don't have time for this."

Deciding not to push the diminutive man, Kurama got out of the covers and patted the man on the head as he walked by, stretching.

"Oi," Hiei muttered softly, but it got Kurama's attention anyway.

"You're coming back, right?"

Kurama stared, lost in Hiei's gaze.

"You're coming back with me, right?" repeated Hiei, trying to push more confidence into his words.

Kurama smiled and nodded, feeling as though he would burst with joy and excitement, before disappearing into the bathroom.

* * *

The silent infiltration was too silent; the employees of Hiruiseki Corp. didn't know what was coming until it was too late. Yusuke was manning the boss's office all by himself, hating his job even more now. Though he was actually satisfied that for once, Hiei had taken leave and went off... somewhere. Yusuke doesn't really know why but he doesn't have the time to wonder why, sadly. Yelling something at Botan, who in her clumsiness managed to topple over a huge pile of papers, he picked up the ringing phone with much grumpiness.

"Hiruiseki Corporations, what can I do for you today?" he bit out, writing another memo on a yellow sticky note and tacking it onto Hiei's desk, which, unsurprisingly, was quite full of sticky notes already.

"For starters," the voice said, amused, "You should let us into the office."

Yusuke whipped around. Botan and Keiko screamed.

"Girls, get the fuck behind me!"

"The whole office is held at gunpoint. No one is able to enter or leave the building... and no one is allowed to alert the police or any other authority," the voice continued, pissing Yusuke off by the second. "Now, let us in ... or a few people might have to die. Let us in and I promise no one will be harmed."

* * *

"I apologize for not telling you sooner," said Hiei gruffly as Kurama hugged his mother who looked utterly miserable yet relieved. The rest of the family looked upset, throwing Hiei uncertain glances that served to irritate him as time passed.

"You shouldn't have made your mother worry like that, Shuichi," the man said reproachfully. Kurama, however, didn't even bother to look at his direction, choosing instead to continue patting his mother on the back.

"Kurama will be coming back with me to Tokyo," said Hiei curtly. "He'll be working with me again."

"Oh, Shuichi, that's wonderful news! Jaganshi-sama, please teach him as well as you can," said Kurama's mother in delight, giving Hiei a tiny bow.

Hiei tuned out the resounding cheers and good-luck-wishes of Kurama's family, choosing instead to watch Kurama carefully. Happiness radiated from Kurama, evident from the smile on his face and the warm gestures of his hands... and Hiei learnt, in that moment, exactly why he could never look away from the redhead.

"Pack your things," Hiei interrupted suddenly, "We'll leave as soon as we can."

Noting his mother's crestfallen face, Kurama shook his head. He made a few gestures rapidly, too fast for Hiei to understand. Slightly guilty that he still couldn't read more than basic sign language, Hiei opened his mouth to ask, but Kurama's mother beat him to it.

"Shuichi is asking if you two could leave after lunch, so that we may have a meal together as a family before he leaves. Would that be alright?"

"Oh," said Hiei, dumbstruck for a second. "Yes ... I, yes, that would be fine," giving a small smile to Kurama. He got up and headed to the door.

"I'll meet you at the train station --- " Hiei was cut short immediately by Kurama's demanding and tugging hands. "What the ---"

"I think that means he wants you to stay for lunch," said Kurama's father, amused by the proceedings, also slightly alarmed at how his son was treating his boss.

"I would be intruding," Hiei said firmly, glaring at Kurama.

Kurama shook his head firmly, responding to Hiei's glare with a similar, equally stubborn one.

"Fine," groused Hiei impatiently, pulling his arm away and rubbing it. "You win this time."

* * *

"Open the safe."

"Fuck off. Don't know the combination. Didn't even know there was a safe to begin with."

"How do I know you're not lying?"

"Er, because I'm telling the truth? How dumb are you?"

"_Yusuke_, stop insulting him!"

"Seriously. The safe is in the bossman's office, a place we never go to unless we're serving our asses up to him to be kicked, why the fuck would I know a combination to a safe I've never seen before?"

"Call your boss, then. He'll be delighted to know what I have in store for him..."

* * *

Word count - 2303

Phewwww. Possibly the longest chapter I have ever written? Nyahaha.

Well, I'm sorry for not updating for so long!! FOUR MORE CHAPTERS TO GO GUYS. -is sad-

Please leave a review to let me know what you think!


	32. Chapter 32

I... I'm very ashamed of my prolonged absence. I'm not giving up this fic, but I think as fandom goes... I'm not really into this fandom anymore. I had plans for this though, a sequel with Karasu and stuff. But I have the plot written out for the next 3 chapters,and I'm going to complete it because if I don't then all 727 reviews that I have received from you guys would have been for nothing, and I can't waste that. I really can't. So thank you all, so very much.

**Silent Portrait: Chapter 32**

Kurama's mother, Shiori, really knew how to cook up a meal. Hiei was sitting at the Minamino's humble dining table, sated and sleepy and generally content with life at the moment. Kurama's brother was quite the talkative one, easily getting over the fact that he had THE Jaganshi-sama wiping his mouth in his very own house. With a few glares from Kurama, however, the boy managed to tone down his pestering, but otherwise still bombarded Hiei with a lot of questions ("Are you really the richest man in Japan or is it just something the media lies about everyday?" and "Why didn't my brother tell us that he was working for you?").

"Shuichi, why don't you go pack up? Shuu-chan can help clean up this time," said Shiori, clearing out the dishes on the table. Kurama nodded at her and then smiled hastily at Hiei before hurrying upstairs.

"Don't worry if you forget anything," Kurama's father yelled after him, "We'll make sure to send it to you!"

"Why do you call him Shuichi?" asked Hiei, his curiousity piqued. Ever since he appeared at their doorstep, the redhead had been referred to as "Shuichi" instead of "Kurama".

"Ah," said Shiori awkwardly. She paused for a second before struggling to say, "Well, his birth name is Minamino Shuichi. Kurama is his pen name, or his artist name."

"I still think he shouldn't go by that name," Kurama's father interrupted. Shiori turned her back towards him, watching her youngest son wash the dishes.

"Yes, I know. But as long as he still responds to Shuichi, I don't mind whatever name his friends want to call him."

"And this one here," Hiei gestured towards the currently sullen boy at the sink, "You called him Shuu-chan?"

"Hatanaka Shuuichi. That's my name," he chirped over his shoulder.

"Hatanaka?" echoed Hiei blankly.

Suddenly he felt the room temperature drop.

"Shuuchi is my son from my marriage to my previous wife. Shuichi, or Kurama as you know him, is Shiori's son. His father passed away when he was very young."

"Oh," Hiei managed, staring at Kurama's stepfather.

Hiei sighed inwardly at the awkward situation he'd manage to create just by asking a few simple questions. Judging from the uncomfortable looks shared by the two parents, Kurama's relationship with his stepfather was still stilted and distant. There was no doubt, however, that he loved his mother and treated his stepbrother like a true sibling, despite the age gap between them.

Kurama bounded down the stairs, ruffling through the kitchen drawers for a few utensils he could spare for himself. The doorbell suddenly rang, startling everyone in the vicinity.

"Shuu-chan, were you expecting any of your friends today?"

"No," the boy replied, looking puzzled. He left the kitchen to open the door, followed by his curious elder brother, and then the rest of the family.

Now alone, Hiei took a sip of his tea, not wanting to leave the dining room to make his presence even more well-known to the whole of Japan. For all he knew, it could be some irritating paparazzi following him around trying to get the latest scoop... his mood deepened further as his cellphone rang. He glanced at the screen in irritation. Why was Yusuke calling him? He should know better...

* * *

Yukina hovered nervously in front of the door, clutching the piece of paper which contained Botan's address tightly in her hand. Her palms were sweating; part of the paper was already soaked as she rang the doorbell tentatively.

The door swung open. Some of the tension in her shoulders left as soon as she saw that it was a teenage boy with light brown hair who answered the door with a puzzled smile.

"I'm looking for Minamino – Kurama-kun! Oh, is that you?"

The boy was pushed aside gently by a surprised, familiar face, one Yukina had missed so dearly. She was embraced tightly. Fighting back tears, she pulled away to hit Kurama lightly on the shoulder, rebuking him for leaving without so much as a proper goodbye.

"Kurama-kun, you have to come back. Please, I'm begging you. We all miss you dearly, especially my – Oniisan?"

Hiei appeared behind Kurama, apparently having recognized Yukina's voice. He spoke into his mobile phone, all the while never letting his gaze leave his sister's.

"Hold on a second, I SAID hold on – Yukina? What the – I thought you were in Nagano. What are you doing here? Where's Kuwabara?"

Yukina felt sick to her stomach. She had been caught, despite her careful plan. Noticing her stricken look, Hiei immediately schooled his gaze into one of indifference and not anger.

"I thought you were in Tokyo... I came to find Kurama and bring him back, oh, Oniisan, I'm so sorry, really, I didn't want to tell Kazuma-kun because he'd worry and he can't act, but Shizuru-san and Botan-san knows, they gave me Kurama-kun's address... and I, oh, you were being stubborn, so I thought I'd come and bring him back myself..."

Hiei gaped, watching his sister babble at him. He glanced over to Kurama, who appeared to be suppressing a chuckle.

"Don't worry, I'm not angry at you," Hiei said gruffly. He stepped over to her and pulled her into the house, gripping her shoulder tightly. "I had the same idea too anyway," he said, smiling a little at her to put her at ease.

"So," she said excitedly, turning to Kurama, "So... does this... does this means you're coming back?"

Kurama nodded, his emerald eyes twinkling. Hiei, not wanting to be a part of this embarrassing scene, turned away and began to talk on the phone.

She beamed brightly at him. Making sure that her brother wasn't looking, she signed to Kurama with a slightly mischievous grin, '_I knew he couldn't forget about you so easily.' _

If Kurama was blushing, everyone was pretending not to notice.

"_What?_" Hiei hissed all of a sudden, making everyone in the room jump. The light-hearted mood fled the room. The rest of Kurama's family took it as a sign to leave and left the living room, going about their own business.

_"You heard me, Jaganshi. I have your entire office building at gunpoint."_

"Shigure," Hiei bit out, his face twisting into an ugly, angry scowl. "What have you done?"

_Shigure? That name rings a bell_, thought Kurama. He was getting more worried by the second. Hiei didn't look happy at all.

_"Nothing. Yet. Three is not enough, Jaganshi. I want more. In fact, I want them all. Either that, or your entire company. You work for me. You have five minutes to decide, or your precious assistant will go first."_

Hiei stared blankly at the phone. Five minutes? Five minutes wasn't much of a choice at all. He turned his gaze towards the two most important people in his life. Suddenly he felt very lost.

"Oniisan, what's going on?" said Yukina anxiously, trading a look with Kurama, who shrugged back.

"It's Shigure, he – "

_"If you start a panic, Jaganshi-sama, anything at all that might involve the police, I promise you that everyone in this building will die." _

Hiei swore under his breath, covered the phone and whispered, "Shigure wants either my entire company or all of the gems or Yusuke and the others will die."

Yukina almost gasped out loud but luckily Kurama clapped a hand over her mouth. Kurama was too confused... what gems? Still, the news that his friends were being threatened over something valuable but replaceable made his blood run cold.

"_Choose quickly, Jaganshi." _

Through the phone, Hiei heard an ominous clicking sound. Yusuke was screaming something inaudible.

"What is my assistant saying?" Hiei blurted out, grasping for more time. His brain was in a complete meltdown. All he could think of was that Yusuke was there and it was all his fault.

_"He's telling you to give up the company, because the company is the reason why you're a huge fucking douchebag. Huh. Funny guy. Should you give me the company I'll be sure to make him my personal assistant too."_

"Oniisan, give up the gems. The company is more important," Yukina insisted. Kurama stood stock still, watching Hiei closely.

_"Either way you're not losing anything, Jaganshi. Both are of equal value. I am not an unreasonable man, I'm only demanding one, and I'm giving you the option to choose as well." _

Hiei would have loved to pointed out the contradiction in that sentence but Yusuke, Yusuke was at gunpoint and Yusuke was going to die. No. _No_.

_"One minute left. If you don't choose, I will have both. I suggest you decide fast."_

"I'll get you for this," Hiei swore, punching the wall. He inhaled deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose. Kurama hovered anxiously beside him, giving him a concerned look. It helped. A litte.

"Oniisan," pleaded Yukina, "Give up the gems. They aren't as important as Yusuke and the others."

_"BOSS! I SWEAR TO KAMI-SAMA GIVE UP THE FUCKING COMPANY!" _

"The gems, give up the gems!"

_"30 seconds left..."_

_"Oniisan!" _

"_BOSS!"_

* * *

And, huge cliffhanger, of course. Should Hiei give up the company or the gems? Next chapter... which will be sooner, I promise you, except that it won't be long chapters anymore.

Once again, I'm really very sorry that you guys had to wait so long for a shitty update. Someday I'll come back and revamp everything, probably merge a few chapters together, but right now I want to get the story going before I lose focus again. I don't mind if you guys leave reviews telling me it's sub-par, because it really is, but thank you all so much for reviewing anyway.


	33. Chapter 33

Again, sorry about the long wait! It went through a LOT of revision in regards to Hiei's decision, simply because I couldn't make up my mind. The end result is the same however, so the next chapter just needs to be... written. Sigh. It's hard. Haha. The next chapter is probably the final chapter though. Sniff.

By the way, I notice people have been leaving reviews pointing out the huge mistake of Kurama's 1000 yen raise in rent in chapters 6 or 7 or something like that. I always thought I typed it in right, but I changed it again this time, and then I realised that FFNET doesn't allow repetitive characters. So I have to change it to a raise of ten thousand yen or something like that. instead of multiple zeroes, which causes FFNET to delete the zeroes on its own. People have said that they have been "Scrambling for the back button whilst wincing at the mistake" and well, I ... can't really be bothered now? I've changed it like close to 5 times without realizing that FFNET does this, and now I'm just too lazy to go back and do it lol... not while I'm rushing this chapter.

Hope you enjoy!

**Silent Portrait: Chapter 33**

"Your reasoning is faulty as always, Shigure," Hiei said, his tone decidedly calm, despite Shigure's arrogant chuckle. Hiei's fists were clenched tightly, willing himself to pull through. He had to be calm for Yusuke. For everyone.

"Coward. Insulting me over the phone where I can't hurt you. Let's see, one person should do the trick for a nice starter -"

A gunshot went off. Hiei's hand jerked abruptly as he heard it and the resulting scream. His heart sank. _Was it Yusuke? _

Straining his ears, he managed to make out Yusuke yelling a blue streak, and many more people screaming. He bit back a sigh of relief before speaking firmly into the phone. Looking to Kurama for strength, he laughed hard, pretending not to be affected by the gunshot that just went off. He kept his eyes locked with Kurama.

"If I handed over the company to you, imagine the number of lawsuits you and I would face. With over a hundred staff did you really think you would survive a mass resignation? And surely you're not that narcissistic to think all of these people you now hold at gunpoint would be willing to work for you. Does that brain of yours contain anything but an endless quest for riches?"

"Then you would choose to give up the gems?"

"You can take all of them if it means you would never harm me or anyone close to me again."

Kurama instinctively put his arm around Yukina. She had always been the primary target; being the closest to Hiei. Already there had been one kidnapping... who's to say others won't follow suit? Even as he tried comforting Yukina, he felt a hint of jealousy stir up within him. _Stop it_, Kurama scolded himself. _What he feels towards you and Yukina is different. _

"Naturally. Once I have had all of your gems, you will no longer have anything I would want. I know how many there are, Jaganshi. You'd better give me all of it, or else. They were rightfully mine, anyway."

"Not all of it is rightfully yours," Hiei droned coolly, taking a planner out of his briefcase and flipping to a random, empty page. Briskly, he beckoned Kurama and Yukina over, and wrote the words, _"Stay here with Yukina first. I will call you when it is safe to come back."_

"No, Oniisan, you can't!" Yukina cried out, tears forming in her eyes. "Please let me go with you, we all need to stick together..."

"You hid my share from me," Shigure snarled, anger evident in his voice. "Enough smart talk from you, little billionaire. Where are they?" Shigure demanded.

"Half of them are in a safe in the office," Hiei said clearly, averting his gaze from Yukina and her pleas.

"And the other half?"

"The other half is in a bank somewhere in the Saitama prefecture, the whereabouts of which I will not disclose to you. I will go now and personally bring them to you, on the promise that you and your men leave my company right after taking the gems from the safe."

"Really. And you'll meet me with the other half of the gems together with the entire police force of Tokyo behind your back, I assume."

"Would I? Remember, we were both involved with the gems. As long as you are free, I am free. And if you are caught, then sooner or later I will be caught too. Take the gems and get the fuck out of Japan before you become an outlaw."

There was a moment of silence. Kurama's mind was reeling. Hiei? Jaganshi Hiei, involved in a crime that has never been solved? What on earth was going on? He glanced towards Yukina, assessing her face. She did not appeared to be perturbed by this revelation. _So she knows._

"Fine. Give me the combination numbers, and I will meet you at the usual place at eight tonight. That should give you ample time, no?"

"Call me before then. It depends on the schedule of flights anyway," said Hiei, checking his watch. It was just a little past one in the afternoon.

"So rich, and yet unwilling to buy your own private jet," Shigure said, amused.

"The combination is 45-83-29-0. Four times to the right, three to the left, twice to the right again, and back to zero. Now, pass the phone back to Yusuke."

"Oh?"

"Unless you want a bunch of police officers after your neck, pass the phone to him so he and the rest of the staff don't do anything stupid like call the police."

There was a shuffling sound and an indignant shriek before the phone was finally passed to Yusuke.

"Yusuke, who was shot?"

"Someone, I don't know who. She's not badly hurt, only shot in the leg. Boss, what the fuck are you fucking doing -"

"Listen. I'm giving up the gems. I know you have no idea what gems I'm talking about, but no matter what happens, do NOT call the police."

"WHAT? HE'S FUCKING TERRORIZING THE ENTIRE BUILDING AND YOU DON'T WANT ME TO CALL THE FUCKING POLICE? FUCK, THE POLICE SHOULD BE HERE BY NOW-"

"YUSUKE," Hiei hollered, his patience wearing thin. "Unless you really want me to go to jail as well, DON'T. CALL. THE POLICE. Should the police arrive, do not give them Shigure's name. Give a description if you like, but do not reveal his name. "

"I... What? What the fuck-"

There was a click as he was abruptly cut off, leaving Hiei with a dial tone and a heavy heart.

"Right. That... should solve the situation for now -" Hiei was interrupted by Yukina throwing her arms around him.

"I'm coming with you," she said firmly. She turned to look at Kurama, who had an odd look in his eyes. "And so is Kurama-kun."

"No, Yukina. I'm not budging on this one."

"I want to be there. I want to make sure you give them all up. It's time you let that part of your life go."

Hiei visibly flinched.

"I know I have to," he replied awkwardly, looking away.

Kurama stepped in, his gaze hardening. Focusing in on Yukina, hoping that she still remembered all the sign language he taught her, he signed, "_We don't have time_. _We leave now."_ He cringed inside at the improper grammar, but he hadn't really taught Yukina conjunctions and whatnot.

Yukina got the message, however, and interpreted Kurama's motions to Hiei. Nodding reluctantly, Hiei got up.

"Let's get your things, Kurama. Yusuke is waiting."

* * *

Kurama tried not to look too amazed. He was in a plane. In first class, no less, but of course that wasn't too surprising seeing as he was traveling with _the _Jaganshi Hiei.

Settled in between Hiei and the window, he peered nervously at Hiei, before turning to look outside the window, watching endless fluffy clouds pass by. He was torn between excitement and nerves. He had never flown before. The redhead didn't feel any more fear than he would have on the Ferris wheel, and he was thankful for that. What if he was terrified of planes? That would've made things a lot more difficult. Not that he could imagine himself being terrified of well, anything. Except perhaps watching Hiei die. Or his mother. He pictured Yusuke, spread-eagled on the floor with his eyes rolled back, a dribble of blood at the corner of his mouth... No. He shook his head violently.

_Would we get there in time? _

"Kurama."

_What's all this deal about gems? _

"Oi. Kurama."

_Why was Hiei involved in ... in some sort of crime?_

"Kurama," Hiei snapped, poking the redhead on the shoulder. Kurama jolted and turned to look at him. Realizing that they were mere inches apart from each others face, they both quickly turned to look right ahead.

"I wanted to know if you were alright," Hiei muttered. "I'm sorry this happened so suddenly, just when I thought you could come back."

Kurama wished Hiei was looking at him. Because, you know, it's kind of hard to have a conversation if someone's not look at you while you unsuccessfully try to speak.

"The company... after this, I can't be certain of its future."

Mustering all his courage... and also peeking over to make sure Yukina wasn't looking (although she did look like she was listening rather intently), he gently brushed the tips of his fingers against Hiei's elbow. The millionaire tensed up visibly at first, then relaxed. A small wave of calm washed over him, although he still looked apologetic when he finally faced Kurama.

"I know I offered you your job back, but right now..."

Kurama shook his head firmly, and patted him lightly on the elbow, whilst giving him a small smile.

"I take that to mean that you don't really mind?"

A nod.

"So you're coming back because of m - because of us?"

A slight grin at the falter. Another nod.

"Then why did you leave in the first place," Hiei groused, scowling. Kurama jerked his hand away, appalled that Hiei would say such a thing. _He knew why! How could he - _

Kurama's indignant expression disappeared as he realized Hiei was grinning. A rather feral grin, with traces of worry lines on his face... but a grin nevertheless. Kurama was astounded.

"You know I don't really blame you," he said, stretching like a cat on the first-class seat.

"Oniisan," Yukina cut in neatly, "Are you really going to give up all the gems?"

"Yes."

"You're sure you don't want to keep any gems for yourself?"

"...Yes."

"But what if you lose your company too? You will have nothing," Yukina persisted.

"I won't have nothing," Hiei said crossly, thinking of her and Kurama. "I thought you disapproved of the gems anyway."

"Of course. But you built your company on them."

Kurama made an odd noise, distracting the two from their conversation.

"What is it, Kurama?" Yukina asked, leaning forward to look at him.

"He probably wants to know about the gems," Hiei guessed, also turning to look at him for confirmation. Kurama nodded, a curious look on his face.

"Years ago after I ran from the last orphanage, I resorted to pick-pocketing to survive. Also to find a clue of where Yukina might be," Hiei began, folding his arms neatly. "I met Shigure, who I got into a fight with after pick-pocketing him and almost getting caught. I escaped, but he tracked me down eventually. Then... then he offered me a job. To help him steal over fifty gems recently excavated in an unknown location in Japan. The profits would be split evenly between him and I. One gem was worth at least five million yen. About equivalent to a 2-carat diamond, I think."

Hiei paused for a second, trying to sort out the order of events in his brain. Kurama, meanwhile, was trying to fathom the unfathomable number of one hundred million yen.

"These gems were rare. And there aren't any more of them, because of Shigure's blunder. The plan was for us to break in and steal the gems that were being kept in a safe in a rich, ruthless man's house, who also happened to be the man funding the excavation of these gems. Shigure hadn't anticipated guards in front of the safe, so he took them down, alerting the security at once. He had to flee. While making his escape, he accidentally killed the man who had discovered these gems. The location died with him. Meanwhile, I escaped with all of the gems."

"Because we were both wearing masks, he managed to flee and no one knew how he looked like or where to catch him. Or me. When Shigure finally caught up with me and demanded his share, I lied about it. There were about seventy gems in total. I told him there were only forty, and so I gave him twenty. I don't know what he did with the gems, but I sold a few gems for cash and invested here and there... eventually I had enough to start a small company and slowly expand. I couldn't start a big one straight up without looking suspicious. Where would all the money have come from? People would wonder."

"Shigure probably knew I lied. Once I entered the office to find everything in a mess, and I suspected him. He didn't manage to locate the safe that night, however. Then, using one of his minions, he staged a kidnapping and offered to help me rescue her in exchange for a few gems. And now, this is happening."

There was silence all around. Kurama was struggling to absorb all this information. A mini-Yusuke popped up in his mind, strutting around saying, "Gee, Hiei's spoken more today than he ever has in his entire life before this..." Vaguely amused, he fought to keep a smile from appearing on his face.

Hiei was speaking again. Kurama slapped away the mini-Yusuke, listening intently.

"If Shigure is caught, then it's only a matter of time before they come for me too. The gems are the only proof. If I give them all to him, then I'll be safe."

"But if your company dies because of this, then - "

"It's okay, Yukina. I sold off a few, remember? I still have cash and other properties. It's fine. We aren't living that extravagantly anyway."

"_Cabin crew, please prepare for landing_," The crackle of the microphone interrupted them.

"I know of the safe in your office," murmured Yukina, "But I didn't know you had more stashed away here. Where are they?"

Hiei merely shrugged and said, "You'll see."

TBC

* * *

A huge flaw in this story is HOW THE HECK DID HIEI BREAK INTO THE SAFE? I'm not answering that, because I don't know. He has HIEI SKILLZ. Lol. Sorry :/

For story purposes, and because I'm rushing this chapter, I really don't know how long it is for a flight from Tokyo to ... whereever it is Hiei was going, and I had the name of the city/town and everything, and I swear I researched it but I can't find those notes anymore. So I'm making it about an hour an a half flight, adding to that waiting time and retrieving the gems and everything, Hiei should have enough time to reach Shigure and hand over the gems.

Also, I've been looking everywhere for a picture of the tear gems... I'm pretty sure they are a perfect sphere, no? Can anyone help me confirm this?

Also, also, you don't "excavate" gems, right? I was searching for the right word in my head but I couldn't come up with anything else. It seems weird some how. Digging for gems? Erm?

Please take the time to review! THIS IS THE SECOND LAST CHAPTER. T.T


	34. Chapter 34

So... I'm back? Heh? I'll bore you with the Author's Notes later. Onwards!

* * *

**Silent Portrait: Chapter 34**

Yusuke scanned his surroundings, suppressing the urge to sigh. Botan and Keiko were waiting for him outside, glancing around nervously. The gunmen had left, but the terror obviously hadn't. They did their best to calm the staff down, sent them home with strict orders directly from Hiei that they were not to tell anyone what happened unless they wanted to get their boss in trouble.

He stared at the empty safe with its door ajar, wondering how he had never known that there was a safe housing what appeared to be the bulk of Hiei's fortune.

And it would be all gone, while his boss would get to keep the company.

Yusuke knew he should be thankful that Hiei chose to give up the gems, since he'd still have a job after this, but for some reason, he really didn't think that Hiei enjoyed owning a company, anyway.

"Yusuke, are you done? Let's go already, we should check up on the rest and wait for Hiei to call us," said Keiko, glancing at her mobile phone anxiously.

_The potted plant does well to mask the bloodstain_, he thought absently as he locked the door, _but I can still see it._

His mobile phone buzzed lightly in his coat pocket. Rather gruffly, he tossed it to Keiko as he locked the car door and started the engine. He scanned his surroundings again, his gaze sharp and alert.

"Who's it from?"

"It's from Hiei. Says to come pick Yukina and Kurama from the airport," Keiko read aloud, and her face brightened visibly, turning around to grin at Botan.

"Kurama's back!"

"That's great news! But how? And I thought Yukina was in Tokyo? What's going on?"

"I guess we'll find out soon enough," said Yusuke enthusiastically, his mood considerably lighter as he began driving towards Narita Airport.

* * *

Kurama had insisted on coming with him.

Kurama was an idiot.

"I'll come back to you," Hiei said to Yukina, squeezing her shoulder. He nodded to Kurama, fighting the urge to tell the red-head the same thing.

"Watch out for her," he ended up saying, ignoring the scowl on Kurama's face that clearly meant, _you stupid idiot, you shouldn't be going alone. _

"Don't worry Kurama-san," said Yukina, grasping his arm. "Shigure will not harm him."

_How do you know? How can any of you know? _

"It's not in his best interest to do so," Hiei answered, hailing a taxi. Without elaborating further, he added, "Yusuke will pick you up. Watch for his car, and wait for me."

He closed the door, watching his sister and Kurama stare after him as the taxi drove away.

_Time to end this._

* * *

" - so, wait, you actually left Kuwabara's place early so you could go find Kurama and your brother had _exactly_ the same idea?"

"Twins," Botan said triumphantly, as though she had always known that the siblings were magically connected through twin powers of awesomeness.

"Right..."

"And then, the phone call came from the office -"

"It was so scary! I've never seen that much blood in my life, and apparently that wasn't even a lot -"

"They wanted to phone the police, luckily for Botan -"

Kurama drowned all conversation out, and turned his worried thoughts to Hiei. He still wasn't entirely certain Hiei could come out of this unscathed, considering how little he knew about Shigure and the image that he'd already formed in his mind about their little deal. Aside from that, there was their little matter to decide... Where do they go from here? Hiei had essentially admitted his feelings, in the most Hiei-like way possible. Yukina seemed to already have guessed. What about the rest of their friends?

Rather ruefully, he shook his head and reminded himself that Hiei was not like to care if one of his "friends" decided that he or she didn't want to be around homosexuals.

It was thrilling, he supposed, the idea that he would be moving back into the apartment, living with them and having a place to belong. He took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly, counting to ten; releasing all the negative emotions he'd held in since he left Tokyo.

_One step at a time, towards the future_, he thought, smiling at the girls as they decided to pepper him with questions he couldn't answer, but feelings he could certainly share.

Later on, while waiting in Hiei's apartment, they entertained themselves with Oki, more conversation and discussion, while doing their best to ignore the impulse to glance at the door, their mobile phones, and the clock on the wall that slowly ticked towards midnight.

As the night went on, Yukina prepared her home for her guests to stay overnight, as neither of them particularly wanted to go anywhere at that hour. Botan would share a room with Yukina, whereas Yusuke and Keiko would take Kurama's old bedroom for the time being. Kurama insisted on staying up in the living room, and appeased Yukina by letting her know that he would wake her if he was tired.

Closing his eyes, he replayed the events of the day.

* * *

_The village houses looked old but sturdy. Hiei led the way to a simple house with a small farm beside it, where an old lady was bent over, her back facing them, plucking the vegetables from the fields and putting them into her basket. Hiei did not acknowledge the presence of this lady and neither did she look up to greet them. They walked past her and into the house. _

_Hiei strode into a sparse bedroom, looking for all the world as though he ought to be there. Kurama and Yukina looked at each other uncertainly, wondering whose house they were intruding upon and how rude it was! They watched curiously as Hiei opened a bedside drawer filled with sewing needles and thread, and a few bottles of what appeared to be beads in them. _

_"I used to live in one of the bigger cities nearby," Hiei said, taking the bottles and after examining it, held it out to Yukina. The beads tinkled innocently in the bottle as Yukina peered at it closely._

_"I ran away, of course. I couldn't stand it."_

_"...Here?" _

_"Yeah. It wasn't too far away. I stopped here only briefly, but... the woman... she opened her doors to a hungry and thirsty boy, and cared for him until he vanished the next morning."_

_Hiei held out his hand to Yukina, prompting her to drop the bottle into his hands. He pocketed it and turned to Kurama. _

_"She's deaf." _

_"Really?" _

_Hiei nodded. _

_"After I met Shigure, and the whole thing with the gems happened... I came back here. She's kept it safe for me ever since... in plain sight." _

_"In plain sight - you mean those beads in the bottle are the - ?" _

_"Yes. I was counting on the rather risky assumption that even if thieves broke into her house, they would not have any interest in a bunch of beads in a bottle. Perception has something to do with it... these beads look ordinary in a tiny bottle, but laid out in expensive silk, they look valuable. They're perfectly spherical... extremely rare. Most other gems' natural forms are not like that." _

_They left the house, and this time the lady caught sight of them. Her face lit up into a huge smile when she saw Hiei. _

_"Obasan," Hiei said softly and slowly, grasping her shoulder to make sure she was looking at him directly. "I won't come back anymore. Take care of yourself." _

_"Take care, okay? You're so grown up now!" _

_And for the first time, Kurama saw Hiei's true smile._

* * *

The door suddenly clicked open, startling Kurama. He stood up abruptly, realizing that if it were anyone other than Hiei he really couldn't alert the whole house. He kicked himself mentally for his stupidity and selfishness.

The door swung open, and in walked Hiei, looking tired.

"Is Yukina asleep?" said Hiei, his voice hoarse. He reached down to pull off his shoes, completely missing Kurama's affirming nod. He noticed the extra pairs of shoes. "Who else is here? Yusuke?"

"Well?" Hiei turned to him, expecting an answer. Kurama stared back at him with an annoyed expression on his face.

"...Forgot, sorry."

He tossed his briefcase aside and sat down heavily opposite Kurama, who was watching him closely. Feeling jittery and tense, Hiei exhaled deeply in an effort to relax his body. He avoided Kurama's gaze and let his head fall back against the couch.

"It's done, Kurama," he spoke to the ceiling, absently watching the shadows of cars passing by.

"I gave Shigure all of the gems and told him to fuck off."

"There will probably be an investigation into my company, depending on whether or not they catch him first. I don't think they'll get to him so soon, but I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that Shigure would turn me over in an instant if it meant a lesser sentence for him -"

He stopped abruptly, feeling Kurama's weight on the couch beside him. His breath caught in his throat as he straightened and turned towards the redhead.

"But -" Hiei said slowly, "I think we'll be okay."

He took Kurama's hand and clasped it tightly.

"I think we'll be okay," he repeated to himself - but that statement was not regarding the state of his company. He looked up, searching Kurama's face for a sign; a hint that maybe he wasn't so sure; wanted more time maybe to think things through; perhaps even a change of mind -

Kurama nodded firmly, and leaned in.

* * *

**A/N:** Yes, that was a kiss. More deeeets to come.

I'm sorry it's been 3 years, everyone! This isn't the last chapter, unfortunately, because I love kiss-hangers.

As you can tell, the reason why this did not get written for a very long time was because I was stuck at the Shigure-Hiei negotiation scene forever. It was only recently that I realized that I could just _not _write the scene, and instead write out the consequences, which is what people want anyway. Kind of fail cop-out, I know, but hey, I'm not the greatest writer out there in the world, sorry if you're expecting that!

Thank you to all of you who have stuck around this long, and sorry to have disappointed those of you who no longer follow the story...

And to those of you who have yet to check it out, I do have a one-shot sequel to this story where Hiei and Kurama are already together. It's in my profile, titled Silent Portrait: The Artist's Hands.

Thanks again!


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